There, here's a two; if it doesn't take it all, what's left can
go toward bringing you back."
And he handed out the bill, and dropped the change into his pocket.
"Thank you, William," stammered the old man. "I--I'm sorry--"
"Oh, that's all right," cut in William cheerfully, with a wave of his
two hands. "Glad to do it, father; glad to do it!"
Mr. and Mrs. Whipple stayed some weeks with their nephew. But, much as
they enjoyed their visit, there came a day when home--regardless of
weeds that were present and wax wreaths that were absent--seemed to them
the one place in the world; and they would have gone there at once had
it not been for the railroad fares.
William had not sent down any more money, though his letters had been
kind, and had always spoken of the warm welcome that awaited them any
time they wished to come home.
Toward the end of the fifth week a bright idea came to Jeremiah.
"We'll go to Cousin Abby's," he announced gleefully to his wife. "Nathan
said last night he'd drive us over there any time. We'll go to-morrow,
an' we won't come back here at all--it'll be ten miles nearer home
there, an' it won't cost us a cent ter get there," he finished
triumphantly. And to Cousin Abby's they went.
So elated was Jeremiah with the result of his scheming that he set his
wits to work in good earnest, and in less than a week he had formulated
an itinerary that embraced the homes of two other cousins, an aunt of
Sarah Ellen's, and the niece of a brother-in-law, the latter being only
three miles from 'his own farmhouse--or rather William's farmhouse, as
he corrected himself bitterly.
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