i 



0F JFJIE flMECg. 



Dr. Edward J. Tucker. 



CHAPTER VI. 



CAIN AND ABEL. 



I sank into a chair appalled. They 

 have abandoned me and wished me to 

 sell them the farm so that it could be 

 kept in the family. I read the cruel 

 lines over, and placing my aching head 

 between my hands endeavored to pene- 

 trate their reason for treating me in 

 such a" shameful manner, but could not 

 fathom the mystery. Suddenly I started 

 to my feet. 



" Heavens," I cried; "The build- 

 ings have been shut up for a week, with 

 no one to attend to the live stock." I 

 rushed to the stable. The door was 

 locked. I pounded on the door and 

 shouted, but not the faintest sound 

 could I hear. Running around the end 

 of the barn to the kennel I found my 

 worst fears realized. My setter, pointer, 

 and cocker spaniel were dead from star- 

 vation. Returning to the house I got 

 the keys, hastened back to the barn, and 

 with trembling hands unlocked the 

 door. On entering I stumbled over the 

 dead body of a horse ; the broken head- 

 piece told the story of the poor beast's 

 sufferings plainer than words. Desper- 

 ate with hunger and thirst he had broken 



*Continued from page 40. 



from its fastenings and had tried in vain 

 to beat down the door that held him a 

 prisoner. 



Kneeling beside the poor, stricken 

 animal with tears in my eyes, I took its 

 head in my lap. As I did so it opened 

 its eyes a moment and immediately 

 closed them. Springing to my feet I 

 seized a couple of pails and running to 

 the pump filled them with water. On 

 the way back I found a large sponge 

 used for washing down the horses. I 

 dipped this in the water, and forcing 

 open the horse's mouth, inserted the 

 sponge. I then dashed the remain- 

 ing contents of the pails over its body, 

 and repeated the operation until I saw 

 it revive. In the meantime I looked 

 into another stall and found the mare 

 and her colt dead. Robert le Diable 

 was not in the stable, and I concluded 

 he was still at the veterinary's. Fur- 

 ther examination disclosed the fact that 

 the cows were dead and the hogs in a 

 dying condition. The chickens having 

 a large open yard, had flown over the 

 wire-netting and had managed to pick 

 up a living. 



Choking with rage at the devastation 

 that had been wrought during my ab- 

 sence, I determined that Steve should 



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