88 DYER'S HOLLOW. 



As for his stock in trade, sole leather, 

 dry goods, etc., 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. 



