"But I am," replied the young man quickly. "I'll be glad to work for my board and room."
"I think we can do better than that for you," smiled Mr. Nichols. "Your salary won't be large, but we'll keep you in spending money at least."
"What shall I do first? Chop the wood?"
"You might look at the stove and see if you can discover what is wrong with it."
"O.K.," laughed the young man. "I know a little about cook stoves. We had one at the——"
He stopped abruptly and then finished in confusion: "We had a cook stove at the place where I lived."
"And where was that, young man?" asked Mrs. Masterbrook tartly.
"It doesn't matter in the least," interposed Mr. Nichols smoothly. "Mr. Haymond's affairs are his own."
"There's no great mystery about my past," said the young man. "I came from the West. My parents are dead."
"I'm sorry to hear that," replied Mr. Nichols sympathetically.