G UA TEMO TZIN. 



85 



answer for the ruin for which he alone 

 was responsible. I then started to town, 

 after leaving plenty of feed and water 

 for the horse. 



I remember reading in one of Sir 

 Walter Scott's novels the remark of a 

 judge as he pronounced the sentence of 

 death on a drover who had murdered a 

 companion. 



"I cannot," said the judge, " admit 

 the plea of emotional insanity ; as the 

 evidence shows that after your compan- 

 ion inflicted the blow upon you, you ran 

 half a mile to where your outfit was sta- 

 tioned, got the knife with which you 

 committed the deed, and running back 

 to the tavern you plunged the knife into 

 the side of your friend. Now, I hold 

 you could not accomplish a fraction of 

 the distance without regaining your bal- 

 ance of mind and realizing what you in- 

 tended to do. I can find no extenuating 

 circumstances in the provocation ; there- 

 fore, I sentence you to death." 



Now that judge may have been right, 

 theoretically ; practically I do not be- 

 lieve he was, as I walked the two miles 

 to Wilkesbarre without knowing how I 

 accomplished it, nor did I know what 

 I was to do or say when I found my 

 brother and father. My mind was in a 

 chaotic condition, and through the mass 

 of matter that surged through my brain, 

 the dominating idea was that my father 

 and brother were trying to ruin me, and 

 for some inexplicable reason were en- 

 deavoring to obtain possession of the 

 farm. 



Through all the mental aberration I 

 was laboring under, I was dimly con- 

 scious I would find Steve at Jessie 

 Sheldon's, and mechanically I turned 

 down the well known street. 



As I passed the church I raised my 

 eyes and sure enough saw Jessie sit- 

 ting on the lower step of the stoop with 

 Steve, while father and Mr. Sheldon sat 

 on the upper step, all evidently enjoying 

 the fine September evening. I fully ex- 

 pected to find them there, yet the sight 

 goaded me to madness, and before I 

 was aware of my action, I made one 

 stride forward and stood like a spectre 

 before Steve. Jessie gave a slight ex- 

 clamation at seeing me, and, indeed I 

 must have been a sight horrifying to 

 contemplate. 



My clothes were old and travel- 

 stained. My hair unkempt and my face 



convulsed with jealousy, love, hate and 

 despair, while Steve sat calm and un- 

 moved. 



Slowly they rose to their feet. I was 

 unable to articulate, and Steve broke the 

 silence first. 



"Well, sir!" he exclaimed. "You 

 appear in a most unceremonious man- 

 ner. Have you come to call us to ac- 

 count for our determination to work for 

 ourselves and not for another without 

 pay?" 



"Wretch!" I hissed in his face. 

 " Why did you sneak off in the night 

 when I was absent from home ? Why 

 did you discharge the farm hands and 

 lock up the stock to die of starvation ?" 



"What do you mean ? " 



" Mean," I shrieked, in a paroxysm of 

 rage. "I mean that all the cattle are 

 dead ; the hogs are dead ; the mare and 

 colt are dead, and my dogs are dead — 

 all from starvation. The devastation at 

 the farm is as great if a pestilence had 

 struck it. You know it was not unusual 

 for me to absent myself from home 

 weeks at a time. I returned only to-day 

 and find everything ruined." 



" Well," answered Steve, coldly. " 1 

 fail to see how you presume to hold me 

 accountable for any loss the farm may 

 have sustained through your negligence; 

 you surely cannot expect us to work 

 for you forever without compensation." 



I laughed in a hysterical manner. 

 "Compensation," I cried, pointing to 

 him and then to myself; "pray, have 

 you not always pocketed the proceeds 

 of the farm, and have I ever received 

 one cent in the way of rent or profit? 

 But never mind, Mr. Farrington has 

 promised to see this through for me and I 

 will require a strict accounting from 

 you both." 



I noted the lightning-like glances that 

 flashed between Steve and my father. I 

 turned and walked a few steps toward the 

 village, when Steve approached and said. 



"Allen, I am very sorry about the 

 stock and your dogs, but we fully ex- 

 pected you home that night. You never 

 seemed to care for the farm and alw 

 desired to study medicine; if you still 

 wish to do so, name your price for the 

 farm, including the stock that lias died." 



I gazed at him a moment in surprise 

 and answered with a sneer. 



" Where did you get so much money? 

 Was it from the proceeds of the farm ? 



