88 DYER’S HOLLOW. 
As for his stock in trade, —sole leather, 
dry goods, ete., —that spoke for itself. I 
stepped inside the door, but he was occupied 
with an account book, and when at last he 
looked up there was no speculation in his 
eyes. Possibly he had sold something the 
day before, and knew that no second cus- 
tomer could be expected so soon. We ex- 
changed the time of day, —not a very val- 
uable commodity hereabout, —and I asked 
him a question or two touching the hollow, 
and especially “the village,”’ of which I had 
heard.a rumor that it lay somewhere in this 
neighborhood. He looked bewildered at the 
word, — he hardly knew what I could mean, 
he said; but with a little prompting he re- 
collected that a few houses between this point 
and North Truro (there used to be more 
houses than now, but they had been removed 
to other towns, — some of them to Boston !) 
were formerly called “the village.” I left 
him to his ledger, and on passing his house 
I saw that he was a dealer in grain as well 
as in sole leather and calico, and had tele- 
phonic communication with somebody; an 
enterprising merchant, after all, up with the 
times, in spite of appearances. 
