"Father is a poor man, and has hard work to get along.
He can give me no help."
"Isn't the farm productive?"
"There is no trouble about that, but he has to pay too high a rent. It's
all the fault of Fairfield."
"The agent?"
"Yes."
"Your father was telling me about him. Now, if your father were in his
place, I suppose he could give you the advantages you wish."
"Oh, yes! There would be no trouble then. I am sure he would make a
better and more popular agent than Mr. Fairfield; but there is no use
thinking about that."
"I expected myself to go to college," said Frank. "In fact, I have
studied Latin and Greek, and in less than a year I could be ready to
enter."
"Why don't you?" asked Dick.
"You forget that I am a poor peddler."
"Then how were you able to get so good an education?" asked Dick, in
surprise.
"Because I was once better off than I am now. The fact is, Dick," he
added, "I have seen better days. But when I was reduced to poverty, I
gave up hopes of college education and became what I am."
"Wasn't it hard?"
"Not so much as you might suppose. My home was not happy. I have a
stepfather and stepbrother, neither of whom I like.
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