6 THE STBIKE AT SHANE'S, 



:i faithful old horse in that manner. You liad better 

 pull out to the side of the road, and come back in the 

 morning with a better team.'* 



Mr. Tracy's advice was taken, as it was evident that 

 old Dobbin was about used up. 



About twenty-five years pre^ious to this time John 

 Shane had moved to Indiana, and had bought a small 

 farm, on which he built a saw mill; and by running 

 the mill in winter and farming in summer he had added 

 to his possessions- until he was now the owner of two 

 hundred acres of fine farm land. He had been a hard- 

 working man, and was now considered a well-equipped 

 and prosperous farmer. He was a hard man to deal 

 with, and always aimed to make a dollar where other 

 people made a dime. 



It was a favorite maxim of his that nothing should 

 stay on the farm that did not more than pay expenses. 



There was not a beast or fowl on the farm but what 

 his careful eye was on it, and everything must bring in 

 money or its fate was sealed. 



Avarice held full sway over his mind, and there was 

 no room in his nature for kindness. Everything on 

 the place felt the effects of his ill-temper — even his 

 family did not always escape. His son Tom had, to 

 a great degree, absorbed his father's sentiments, al- 

 though a good boy at heart. A boy's character is 

 often ruined by his early training, and Tom was guilty 

 of many acts of cruelty to dumb animals which he 

 did not know were wrong, simply because his father 

 had set him that kind of example. He did not know 



