R EC RE A TIOJV. 



4i3 



criminal. I now became convinced 

 they meditated the seizure of the farm, 

 expecting from my former indolent 

 manner to achieve an easy victory. 

 Yesterday, they might have accom- 

 plished it without difficulty, but now, 

 the love for Miss Sheldon, that had so 

 suddenly and violently taken possession 

 of me, made me a different man. I laid 

 my hand on my father's shoulder and 

 said. 



" I believe Steve is capable of any 

 treachery to me, but I cannot under- 

 stand why you have taken sides with 

 the son you have hated, against the son 

 you have always cherished. There has 

 been some mysterious influence at work, 

 and I tell you both, I shall fight for 

 every inch of ground. Instead of taking 

 money from you as a beggar, I shall de- 

 mand it as a right. In two months I 

 shall be of age, and as you have deemed 

 it advisable to consult Mr. Farrington, 

 on important business, I shall consult 

 some other lawyer." 



Speechless, the two gazed at each 

 other, and, without further debate, I 

 sought my room. 



I was now positive I was being swin- 

 dled out of my inheritance. I was 

 equally sure Steve had a warm regard 

 for Jessie Sheldon, and that, owing to 

 the two circumstances, he was anxious 

 to get me out of the way. I determined 

 to stay at home until I ascertained I 

 had no prospects of winning Miss Shel- 

 don, in which event the farm would be 

 of no value to me. The more I thought 

 over the situation the more perplexed I 

 became. If Miss Sheldon was the 

 cause of Steve's desire to get rid of me, 

 I knew father would not sympathize 

 with him, but that the two were in sym- 

 pathy there was not the shadow of a 

 doubt. It was equally hard to believe 

 he would assist Steve in getting posses- 

 sion of the farm by illegal methods. I 

 could understand my brother's desiring 

 possession, as he, only, had made it pay, 

 and made it valuable, and he naturally 

 did not desire to work his young life 

 away on the property of another. Al- 

 together there was a perplexity of 

 affairs that made my head swim. 



As I thought of Steve's exposure of 

 my boyish prank, my blood boiled, and 

 I smiled with satisfaction as I recalled 

 how helpless he seemed in my power- 

 ful grasp. No doubt he would report 



to Miss Sheldon my treatment of him, 

 and she would despise me the more. 

 My ears fairly tingled with shame at 

 the ungallant manner in which I had 

 treated her. " If she had only been 

 one of our rustic country girls," I said, 

 as I paced the floor, " she would have 

 laughed and entered into the spirit with 

 which I had been led into the action 

 that was now causing me such bitter 

 pain. I had often played such pranks 

 on the girls of our neighborhood and 

 had had them repeated on me. If I 

 could only bring myself again under 

 the fire of the quiet scorn of those 

 brown eyes I would apologize and beg 

 her forgiveness. Suddenly I stopped 

 short in my walk. Her father had 

 called me his son, begged me to visit his 

 house and had offered his counsel. I 

 would offer my apology through him, 

 and, if she refused to accept it, I would 

 then go to New York and banish her 

 from my heart. 



Chapter IV. 



ROBERT LE DIABLE. 



After a restless night I rose rather 

 late, and, breakfast over, I proceeded 

 to the stable with the intention of 

 hitching up the horse and driving to 

 town. I was, however, too late, as the 

 horse and buggy were gone. Gnashing 

 my teeth with rage, I walked to the 

 field where father was at work and 

 asked who had taken the buggy ? 



*' Steve," he answered laconically. 

 '■He has gone to town." 



" On more important business ?" I in- 

 quired, with a sneer. " Well, never 

 mind ; I'll be after him on Robert le 

 Diable." 



" Allen ! You must not ride Robert. 

 He'll break your neck, yet." 



" It will save you the trouble of steal- 

 ing my farm," I answered with a reck- 

 less laugh, and, going to the stable, I 

 saddled the stallion, a powerful beast 

 that had been imperfectly broken and 

 that was noted throughout the country 

 as having killed two trainers. He was 

 a vicious brute and I was the only man 

 in the neighborhood not afraid of him. 

 I sprang on his back as he bolted 

 through the open door and dashed 

 down the road. As we neared the field 

 where father was at work, he sprang 

 over the fence, while I laughed reck- 



