He lay awake late that night , thinking out ways and means , but could arrive at no satisfactory conclusion . The next day Mrs. Elwell said , `` Ches , Abner Stearns wants you to go up there for a fortnight while Tom Bixby is away , and drive the milk wagon of mornings and do the chores for Mrs. Stearns . You might as well put in the time ` fore harvest that way as any other . So hustle off -- and mind you behave yourself . '' Chester heard the news gladly . He had not yet devised any feasible plan for running away , and he always liked to work at the Stearns ' place . To be sure , Mrs. Elwell received all the money he earned , but Mrs. Stearns was kind to him , and though he had to work hard and constantly , he was well fed and well treated by all . The following fortnight was a comparatively happy one for the lad . But he did not forget his purpose of shaking the dust of Upton from his feet as soon as possible , and he cudgelled his brains trying to find a way . On the evening when he left the Stearns ' homestead , Mr. Stearns paid him for his fortnight 's work , much to the boy 's surprise , for Mrs. Elwell had always insisted that all such money should be paid directly to her . Chester found himself the possessor of four dollars -- an amount of riches that almost took away his breath . He had never in his whole life owned more than ten cents at a time . As he tramped along the road home , he kept his hand in his pocket , holding fast to the money , as if he feared it would otherwise dissolve into thin air . His mind was firmly made up . He would run away once and for all . This money was rightly his ; he had earned every cent of it . It would surely last him until he found employment elsewhere . At any rate , he would go ; and even if he starved , he would never come back to Aunt Harriet 's ! When he reached home , he found Mrs. Elwell in an unusual state of worry . Lige had given warning -- and this on the verge of harvest !
`` Did XXXXX say anything about coming down tomorrow to pay me for your work ? ''
Bixby Chester Elwell Harriet Lige Stearns evening fortnight mornings night