46 THE STBIKE AT SHANE'S. 



was always free to criticise anything that did not suit 

 him, but his criticisms always had a ring of sincerity, 

 as being the result of honest conviction. Justice to 

 all things, both man and beast, was the ruling princi- 

 ple of his life. Shane's errand here was the same as 

 at Tracy's, and he related his troubles and asked for the 

 use of a team in getting his corn planted. 



"Well, I'm always neighborly," said Smith, "an' I 

 think I can spare you a team by the middle of the week, 

 an' I'll send my boy John along to drive it for you." 



"That is not necessary," said Shane; "I have 

 plenty of hands. What I want is horses ; Tom can 

 drive the team, if you will let me have it." 



"I'd rather my boy John would go along with the 

 team," said Smith. " It shan't cost you nothin'. You 

 see the team is used to John, an' then they do say that 

 you are a ha^'d man on bosses, neighbor Shane, an' 

 mine ain't used to bein' ill treated." 



"Well, suit yourself about that. By the w^ay, I'll 

 send Tom over to work in John's place, if you insist 

 on sending John with the team." 



"That's fair," said Smith. "If you don't need the 

 boy, just send him over an' I'll find work for him." 



Farmer Shane returned home feeling more cheerful 

 than he had for some days ; but he didn't feel right 

 about the way Tracy and Smith had talked about his 

 treatment of his horses and other animals. 



"The idea," he soliloquized, "that I don't know as 

 much about how to use a horse as Abner Smith. Why. 

 I*ve owned two horses to his one, an' have wore out 



