“Well, I shall want you in the store a part of the time,” continued his father.  “Frank is going home to spend Thanksgiving, and as it will be a busy week with us, we must have somebody to take his place.”

“Why can’t Henry do the errands while Frank is away?” inquired Oscar.

“Because Henry will have as much other work as he can attend to,” replied Mr. Preston.

“I don’t see why you let Frank go off at such a time,” said Oscar, pettishly.

“It is not necessary that you should see,” replied his father.  “I can manage my business without any advice from you, and I don’t want you to call me to account for what I do.  I have given Frank a vacation, and I shall expect assistance from you—­that is all it is necessary for you to know about it.”

Frank was the errand-boy in Mr. Preston’s shop.  Henry, upon whom Oscar wished to lay the burden occasioned by Frank’s absence, was a young clerk, who had formerly served as chore-boy, but was now quite useful as a salesman.

It was evident, from Oscar’s looks, that he did not much relish the idea of taking Frank’s place for a week.  His mother, noticing this, said: 

“Why, Oscar, I thought you and Frank were good friends, and I should suppose you would be willing to relieve him a few days.  The poor boy has been away from his mother nearly a year, and it is natural that he should want to go home and spend Thanksgiving.  If you were in his place, and he in yours, don’t you think you should like the arrangement your father proposes?”

“I suppose I should,” replied Oscar; “but it’s hard for me to lose my vacation, for the sake of letting him have one.”

“You will not lose all your vacation,” said his father “If you are lively, you can do all I shall want you to do in four or five hours, and have the rest of the day to yourself.”

“And I ’ll help you, too,” said Ralph, who was always ready to offer his assistance in such a case as this.

“Thanksgiving week” soon arrived, and the busy note of preparation for the approaching festival was heard throughout the house.  Bridget was invested with a new dignity, in the eyes of the children, as she bustled about among the mince-meat and the pie-crust, the eggs and the milk, the fruit and the spices, that were to be compounded into all sorts of good things.  The house was filled with savory odors from the oven, and long rows of pies began to fill up every vacant space in the closet.  Mrs. Preston was busy, superintending the operations of the household; while Alice and Ella rendered such assistance as they could, in the chopping of pie-meat, the paring of apples, the picking of raisins, &c.  The boys, for their share, had an unusual number of errands to run, to keep the busy hands inside supplied with working materials.  Oscar, however, was released for the week from all home chores, in consideration of his engagements at the store.