He knew he was welcome there, and could stay as long as he wished, though he had no thought of becoming a burden upon the kind friends that had opened their doors to him.
Now, it was this change in the surroundings in the daily life of Tom Gordon that led to the singular incidents I have set out to tell.
Jim Travers lived alone with his father, who was in fair circumstances.
His mother had died in his infancy; and his only sister, Maggie, was his playmate for a few years longer, when she departed to join the loved one that had preceded her.

The husband and father became a lonely and bowed man, whose years were far less than they seemed.

Although a farmer in a small way, he committed the sad error of engaging in stock speculations, more with a view of diverting his mind from his gnawing grief than with the hope of bettering his fortune.

It is hardly necessary to relate what followed.

He was successful for a time, and improved his financial standing.