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Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre film6s d des taux de reduction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichd, 11 est filmd d partir de I'angle 8up6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas. en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 F MoN 1 I POISON'S PROBATION A STORY OF MANITOBA BY JAMES MORTON TORONTO: WIIvI^IAPvl BRIOaS WESLEY BUILDINGS. Montreal : C. W. COATES. Halifax : S. F. HUESTIS. 1897 Entkrrd arcording to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year one thousand cijrht hundred and ninety-seven, by William Bkiqus, at the Denartnient of Agriculture. M\- '. CONTHNTS. PUOl-OCitTK TROITOH IDINO ON CIIAI'TRR I. The Dysart Settlemknt - II. THK DVSART HoUSEH(»|,l) - III. Uncle Nathan — A Runaway IV. The Vulcan of the Kneadino- V. Silas Panckack VI. The Lonely Smithy VII. " Such is Human Life ; so Gi; VIII. A Hunting Incident IX. A Plot in Embryo • X. A Quarrel in Bendioo • XI. The Tempter and His Triumph XII. The Meeting of the (Whiskey and the) Waters XIII. The Proposal of Anthony Scroopot XIV. With the Falling op the Leaves XV. Which Shall it be? XVI. The Shadows in the Smithy .... PAnic 7 14 16 23 34 41 53 65 72 82 88 97 105 115 119 125 131 iv CONTENTS. CIIArTRR XVII. AlUlANCtlNO FOR A HUNT XVIII. A iSllADOWV CoNKKRENrK XIX. CoiiKTMMis Mum. Bant X.\. A MlllNKtllT Kkkani) XXI. TiiK Mai> SguAW XXII. TnK Dkkk Hunt XXIII. UncLK NaTII/' 's KxcrTKMKNT XXIV. Enoch tub C or XXV. Thk Cm»sin(» Snarr XXVI. A PlKAHANT KVKNINd XXVII. TiiK Arhkst XXVIII. What Shall We Do XXIX. Thouohts in a Prison XXX. The Trial - XXXI. The War of Words XXXII. The Acquittal - XXXIII. Mr. Blutgun'h Meshace XXXIV. "Oh, the Loncj and Dreary Winter!" XXXV. Silas Pancrack Pops the Question XXXVI. Home Scenes in Winter Time XXXVII. Gorman's Cat - - ■ - - XXXVIII. Sliding Down the Whiskey Grade XXXIX. The Voice of the Storm XL. After the Blizzard - XLI. The Diary of a Hermit XLII. Pancrack's Condolence XLIII. A Slave of the Cup - FAQR 137 140 142 148 !(((( im 171 177 181 187 190 196 201 206 217 224 228 231 235 247 249 262 258 265 267 274 278 CONTENTS. I'liArriiH XMV. A Solomon Comk to .IriMiMKNT • XLV. FiHK, Frost and Hnow.-Tmk I'HKi.rhn XLVI. Mb. Lonusthki t'h Ar.AUM XI. VII. A Lkjht in tiik Nioiit • XI.N'III. Tiik Shorn Lamb .... XIJX. Kkvklation ani> Rkmorsk L Tiik Knoaoemknt Kndid LI. Mrs. Tomson is Sitri'RImkd - Lll. IV\n< :ra«k Oobm for a Slei(HI-rii>k LIII. Bmndnksr and Dkliricm LIV. Tub Tahleh Titrned LV. JuLiiTH Hatton's Fuout and Mrs. PUBHUIT LVI. Gorman's Cat Once More • LVn. " Lt)! Thk Poor Indian" - LV'III. The Return ok the Sprino • LIX. A Closing S«;enb in tiik Dysart Hou LX. The Bliss of the Wealthy - PAltR • • ■ •2m;{ K 2>M • • ■ 201 • • ■ 203 • • • *2m • • 801 • • « .TOO ■ • . 310 • 312 • inn m m . 328 BaNT'8 ■ « • 335 • ■ • 340 - - 349 • • ■ 361 SKUOLD - 355 • « . 360 epilogue— And This is the End 366 T tl u I I' 01 si te| CO or tl) FI te th pi- th to eci til fr( of CO' ev th' th< POLSON'S PROBATION. IM^OLOGUli. I. TiiK case of I fatten i'*. Poison was a peculiRr one. By tho will which had causod it, lf«Mny Ilattoii, dpooaaed, had he(|u<'uthed his estate of liaston to his nephew, Frederick I'olaoi., hut under these strict and highly virtu- ous conditions, vix. : (1) That he Hhould not take posses- sion until five years had elapsed from the date of the testator's death. (2) If, durin;^ this period, he should couunit any act which would brin;; the shadow of disjjraco or suspicion upon his name, he must forfeit all right to the inh(*ritance, which would consecjuently revert to Julius Hatton of B , Yorkshire, the oldest nephew of tho testator, and his heir-at-law. Ft was on account of the peculiar conditions of this will that the aforesaid Julius Hatton had brought an action to prove its illegality on the plea of the testator's insanity at the tinie the will was made. This he endeavored to demonstrate by calling witnesses to show that his grandfather had been a man of rery eccentric habits and notions (so much so, indeed, that at times his eccentricities could scarcely be distinguished from actual insanity), and that he was laboring under one of these tits at the time the will was written. Hatton's counsel pressed his case with great dexterity, but still the evidence was not sufficient to destroy the jury's belief in the deceased gentleman's sanity ; and cruelly regardless of the trouble and expense to which Mr. Julius Hatton had 8 l»<)r,S«)N H I'UOHATION. / » b«t, and a little girl aprang into hia aruig eKclainiing, "it's daddie I It'i daddie ! " These exclamations called out a matrotdy lady, and whei\ Mr. I'olaon had set down hia caressing little burden, ho greeted her with a cordial kiss. After aatiafying the atorm of eager (pu^Htiona with which ahe aaluted hiui, he managtfd to lind time to aak, " How ia Fred nowl" "A little better, I think," answered Mrs. Poison; "but how thoughtless of me ! I have been keeping you here and I ktiow that he ia all eagerness to learn the result of the trial." •* Well, I won't keep him on thorns much longer." Mr. Poison took ofl' his hat and hung it on a peg, and after smoothing hia hair a little, ascended the stairs and entered the aick-room. When he opened the door he was greeted with medicinal smells which came from several open phials standing on a table in a corner. The blind was drawn over the window to soften the light, and on all sides were indioations of the presence of sickness. As Mr. Poison entered the room, a young man, trem- bling and fever-worn, sat up in the bed and asked, in a weakly, eager tone, terribly in keeping with the hectic flush on his cheek : ' t I'ROI.OOUI. "Woll, father, which hiin won?" "Th« ri)(ht, I !io|m<. luy Ijoy. At loftut, f think wn art in thn ri^ht," nukI Mr. PoImoh, Nniiling, am hn Mtttod him< MolC on A cliuir by tht< iM'dMidr. •• Which nirariH thnt w« h»v« won," Naiil l''r«l. "Of courwe. Hut Htill y «u know thn conditions for fivn yflnri you ciinnot touch tlio 0Htat«, anil nioanwhilu the rontni d«rivi>d from it m»^H to NUpport charituhlo inntitu- tionK. A (juc'or idm, ctjrtninly ; Wut of lati^ yoarg your grandfathur wan aM occtuitric in tiiM habitH uh hu was ri^id in hiH inoraU, no, no doubt, ho thought hu would put you througli tho furnacn of toniptation b«for« truHting you with tho (^Htato. Still, that clause allowing it to revert to Ilatton in case you fa'' to obtain it in strange, since he alwuyH had an avomion to him, whiUt you wore <{uite his favorite, H()wov«»r, you muHt try to livtj as ascetically as possible fur tiie next tive years, and the estate will be yours.'' " Kilt my cousin Hatton, T am afraid, will take it rather hard," Haid Tred, who feared to make an enemy. '• hon't you think I ought to divide a little with him'{" •' Not unlcsH you wi.sh to hco your estate wasted for evil purpoHcs. Krom all I can hear of your cousin, he deserves even less than he has got." "Indeed! What is wrong with himl" asked Fred with Homo surprise. " From what i have learned of him, ho appears to be simply a selfish schemer, as cunning in getting money as he is covetous. Mis chief business Just now, nominally at least, is in connection with a loan company in which he has an interest. But I have heard that this is merely the blind under which he works a hundred petty schemes for making a penny here and threepence there. In short, his every idea is dressed with the dross of sordid pelf." " Strange," murmured the young man, falling back on the pillow in a musing mood; " strange, that this man's destiny should be so linked to mine ; and yet I have never seen him. Not so strange either, on reflection ; for there has always been a coldness between us and the Ilattons; and ij 1 .11 i 10 POLSON S PROBATION. luckily we ha/e always lived loiif* distances apart, so that there never has been any other than a sort of epistolary business intercourse between us." "Still, you saw Julius in the court," continued Fred, possessed of an instinctive craving to learn all he could about this unknown cousin. " What did he appear like, personally 1 " " To begin with, he has a head shaped something like the capital letter D — ear, me ! " exclaimed Mr. Poison, invol- untarily interrupting himself to add the last two syllables in a tone of surprise. " Talking of letters suddenly re- minds me that I had forgotten to tell you that I have received a letter from Mr. Dysart, in western Manitoba, and he says he shall be very glad to receive you as a farm pupil, if you are willing to roui.'h it and work with the ordinary men. He will not accept a premium, because, he says, he finds that those who pay regard themselves as privileged persons, exempt from obligations to work, and so by their idleness set a bad example to the laborers." " And he is perfectly right," remarked Fred, emphati- cally. '* From a business point of view, certainly," added his father. " But still, in your position you cannot think of accepting a place under him on such terms." "And why not?" asked Fred, raising himself on elbow. " It is just what I should wish. I despise the lily-fingered dandy who calls himself a man, and yet is afraid to handle a spade or drive a plow." " Yes, yes ! " said his father, impatiently, " that is all very fine in bookish philosophy ; but you, with your pro- spective wealth, cannot think of putting it to a practical test, especially when you consider that your constitution is quite unfitted to stand such unnecessary hardships. The idea is simply absurd." "If my body is weak that is one more reason why I should try to strengthen it by fresh air and healthful exer- cise. And if I am to manage an estate consisting of farms, I want myself to be a farmer ; and to be a farmer, I must learn by working. I cannot learn to pitch hay by tossing PROLOGUE. 11 up straws with a walking-stick ; nor can I plow with kid gloves on my hands and a glass in my eye. No ; if 1 want to farm 1 must strip off my coat and grasp the plow-handles without mittens." " Well, well," said Mr. Poison, alarmed Vjy the excite- ment which sparkled in Fred's eyes and Hushed his cheek, "we will talk it over some other time." And ho deftly changed the subject. So, for the time, the matter dropped, and Mr. Poison hoped that returning health would produce a change in the mind of his son. In this he was mistaken. Fred Poison was a thoughtful young man, and yet of a very excitable temperament. He was, unfortunately, rather too easily influenced by the teachings of others. Every new book he read, every enlightened conversation he heard, seemed to lend a fresh hue to his mind. Of late he had come to recognize with Tolstoi that labor was God's universal law — that only in work would true happiness be found — that idleness was always punished by the curse of ennui, accompanied often by broken health and cor- rupted morals. It was a desire to put this theory into practice, combined with the love of change and adventure, so natural to youth, that made him eager to emigrate to Manitoba. The reader may perhaps ask why he could not work in England. I must confess my hero's weakness. He was a sensitive man, and shrank from provoking the gibes and laughter of the friends with whom he was wont to associate. How many are deterred from practising benevolent designs by the same failing ! When he had fully recovered his health, the discussion on his future life again raged furiously, and this time Fred had his way. In vain his father pictured the miseries of western life, the absence of friends, the risk to health in the severe climate, the danger and hardships to be encoun- tered, and the greater safety from temptation at home. " Speaking of temptation," said Fred, " is there less here in England, where every village has its pot-house and skittlerow, and almost every town its theatre or music hall, whilst the great cities are infested with gambling- 12 POLSONS PROBATION. ■.|i :i- i hells and the streets polluted with walking vice 1 Is there less temptation here I ask, than I am likely to meet with on the thinly settled prairies of the West 1" As he CGjld give no satisfactory answer to this interro- gation, Mr. Poison let it pass, and finally, after a little further demur, gave a reluctant consent. So the next spring Fred Poison bade farewell to his family and sailed for America. And whilst he bends over the deck-rails, and mournfully watches the snowy foam which the ship tears out of the sea, we will return to Julius Hatton, the money-lender. II. Mr. Poison, when he interrupted himself, was describing Hatton as a man with a head shaped like the written capital D. Well, perhaps the simile was not so wide of the mark either. He has a cunning head, rounded at the back, whilst the curve over the top of the letter is repre- sented in him by a twisted wisp of sandj' hair hanging negligently over a hard-lined brow. Let us add to this a pair of hard grey eyes, a hooked nose, two little ears nestling among his hair like sea-shells in the sand, a chin protruding like the double curve at the foot of the letter, and the D-shaped head is complete. Nor is it altogether as uncomely as one would think from an analysis of its separate parts ; for there is a strange symmetry of crook and curve about it that gives it as a whole a fair pretence to regularity of feature. Perhaps in after years when the teeth have fallen out and the jaws have fallen in; when the eagle-pointed nose almost touches the upturned chin, and when the sunken eyes blink at the world from under sha^^gy brows of mingled sand and snow — then, perhaps, its component ugliness may be revealed ; but now, at thirty, the face is passing fair. This remarkable head is supported by a compact and sturdy frame of about the middle height, stout, but well proportioned ; and as a shapely pedestal helps to set off a statue, so, no doubt, the body of Julius Hatton serves to relieve the uncomeliness of his head. PROLOGUE. 13 ves it as a We left this gentleman fuming under a legal defeat, and must, I am sorry to say, return to him as he plans revenge for the same. He had by no means abandoned all hope < f possessing the Laston estate. He comforted himself wiiu the reflection that in five years many things might happen, and he determined in the meantime to keep a watchful eye on his rival ; for though he had never seen him, he would still trace him by his name, so that if he were guilty of any delinquency, he would not fail to bring it to the light which " blackens every blot." Winter passed and the spring came. Flowers blossomed, green grew the grass, and gn^en leaves clustered on the trees where birds were carolling in joyful melody ; but these things touched not the gold-bedizened soul of Julius Hatton, though it vibrated instantly to a dry half-business and half-confidential letter he received one morning from a partner in London. " By the way, Hattonius," wound up his correspondent, who was a bit of a pedant, "I must not forget to inform thee that thy kinsman, Polsonius the younger, has sailed the western seas in search of the New Atlantis, where he intends to pass his time in tilling the fields and piping to the flocks, combining the pastoral qualities of Cincinnatus and Virgil without their public fame." Then, in more prosaic form, he gave Fred Poison's future address. "Oh, indeed ! " thought Julius, holding the letter in his. hand. *'So he thinks he will pass his five years free from the world's temptations, does he 1 Ho, ho, my friend, we'll see about that. Perhaps you won't keep out of my sight so easily after all." And thus inwardly apostrophising his far-away cousin, he rose from his desk and paced thoughtfully about the floor of his dusty little counting-house. " I wonder whether it would pay me to follow him. It would if I could wrest the estate from him somehow. Sup- pose I tried to make a double business of it, and bought a farm out there. I wonder if that would pay me. I should think it would ; for when I have done with it, I dare say I can foist it upon the shoulders of some green 14 rOLSON S rilOBATlON. i r fellow-countryman at a considerable profit. Besides, I can do a little in the way of business, too. It is a new country, and plenty will be only too glad to borrow money even at a big interest, to start and stock their claims with ; and I can mortgage their farms as pretty safe security." As he paced about the little den his mind seemed to grow big with selfish ideas, but a thought checked its growth and made him pause. " But the bother is I may find it rather hard to bring disgrace to this fellow after all. Never mind " (he began to walk again), "I'll doit somehow." This premeditated deed required justification. Mr. Hatton soon found sufficient to suit him. " What right has he to the estate anyhow 1 I am the rightful heir, and in spite of the wills of cranky old crackpots, I will have it yet." And as one small idea entering a mind will sometimes grow to the exclusion of appetite and sleep, so this thought of following his eousin would not let Julius Hatton rest till its fulfilment h.id begun. Purposely putting inquirers on the wrong scent, he informed his friends and partners that he was going on a trip across the continent for the benefit of his health, and would probably remain abroad for a considerable length of time. Then, after taking all possible precautions to con- ceal his identity whilst abroad, he filled his greasy money- bags with gold, changed his name, and sailed away. CHAPTER I. The Dysart Settlement. It is spring in Manitoba. On the hillsides and by the woody bluflfs dirty patches of snow are still keeping up a faint struggle for existence against the increasing power of the sun ; and every sloping hollow now resounds with the liquid melody of a rippling, snow-born stream. In the higher places the prairie is composed of water- THE DYSAllT SETTLEMENT. 16 Hatton rest )akecl patches of last year's withered grass, bedecked by thousaiuls of sprin«,'iiig crocuses. Ti)mnnerable pools of iiiiiy sizes and shapes surge and tinkle against their shores (n the freshening April breeze. On the waves of the larger sloughs, Hocks of «|uacking ducks are riding, after bheir journey from the south ; and overhead long lines of their fellow-emigrants swing and curve as they speed toward the nortli. The trails, now transformed into long )lack streaks of mud, are sometimes swallowed by the eatery pools, but emerge Hgain on the ojjposite side to ^tretch out in a long line of gleaming blackness until entirely lost to view. Down the muddy, swollen river float huge )locks of ice, jostling and grinding their ragged edges as (hey tumultuously crowd along. Such is spring in Manitoba, and such are some of the ^ghts and sounds common to Dysart Settlement. As it is necessary for the purpose of my story to show low Dysart Settlement lies, I must beg the reader to follow this brief description : On the north side it is )ounded by the Assiniboine River, which winds its sinu- )us way through a deep and wide valley, hemmed in by kteep banks, one of which is clothed with timber, and the )ther bleak and treeless. To the west it extends to a deep ravine, beyond which stretch miles of wild, uncultivated )rairie. On the south side it is generally conceded to be )ounded by the lake in front of Mr. Dysart's house. Eastward the boundary is indefinite, but it is usually accepted as ceasing with the limits of the Dysart farm. Anyone standing in the heart of this settlement in the |;eason I have described, would have seen on one of the rarious plots of plowed land — which blackened it in places like the squares on a checker-board — certain moving ob- jects, which, in the distance, appeared like two horizontal )lots followed by a short, perpendicular streak, but as they ipproached, gradually broadened to the sight, and finally resolved into real flesh, as a man harrowing with a team )f horses. Like the prairie, the cultivated land has its supply of rater holes, the smooth surfaces of which, interspersed 16 P0LSON8 PUOliATION. '■■VI !|. anion^ the pulverized earth, resemble hits of looking-glass stuck here and there in a dull, rough blackboard. Through those the horses plunge and splash, the harrows following and stirring up the mud, till the hole resembles a vat of yellow yeast. In the rear the driver, with legs protected by top-boots, trudges unconcernedly through the ooze to emerge with boots shedding a tenacious liquid. This is new work for the young Englishman who is driving the team, and although his brow is covered with | sweat, and his feet are sore with walkir the very novelty makes it enjoyable to him, and so he tramps along con tentedly till the evening brings him release. When he has unhitched, he takes his horses to the farm buildings, and, after feeding and cleaning them, leaves them there. About a quarter of a mile from the farm- buildings is the owner's private dwelling-house, and toward || this he makes his way. CHAPTER II. The Dysart Household. >' ti n A FARM-HOUSE ! It is a large frame building, beautifully finished and painted. The gables and eaves are decked with wooden trellis work. The bow-windows jutting out from the sides | relieve it of monotony of appearance, and the veranda in front, supported by slender pillars of fluted iron, topped | by a gently-curved roof, adorns it like a delicate fringe. On all sides it is hemmed in by gardens. Behind is the kitchen-garden, where edible vegetables are grown. On either side are the fruit plots, consisting mostly of trees of small fruit. In the front, separated from the house by a gravelled drive, and divided by a broad walk, is the flower garden, laid out in artistic plots ; and beyond these, crown- ing ail like a silver diadem, lies the beautiful lake. Its crooked shores wind in graceful curves, forming many a THE DYSAUT HOl'SEHOLD. 17 'ming many a )leagant nook and cove, and are fringed with a green frowth of Imshes, where all throu','h the long summer days lundn'da of joyous birds build and sin*;. Such then was the outer appearance of our hero's new lonie, and p scene better calculated to wean one of his {ontle breeding to the hardships of western life and )hy8ic'al labor could not have been found. After Fred Poison had washed and changed he entered ^he dining-room and found the rest of the household as- Mubk'd for supper. " Ah, Poison," said Mr. Dysart from the head of the iblo, " you are just in time. Had you been a little later am afraid you would have found even the scraps scarce." Fred muttered a bashful apology, took his place at the ible, and the meal began. As all these persons play parts lore or less conspicuous in the following pages I will, rhile they are thus conveniently grouped, give the reader description of their outward semblances. Mr. Dysart was a stout man of middle age. His full ice, adorned with long auburn mustache, though not |andsome, was still prepossessing as the index of a feeling ml. One who observed him closely, however, could not lil to detect a certain melancholy look often succeeding Ihe smiles accompanying the jocular sayings and merry lies with which he enlivened the supper table. By his side sat a pale, delicate little girl, to whom he kever spoke but in the tenderest tones, for she was to him [he last remaining link of a happy marriage, blasted by »e untimely death of his wife. On Mr. Dysart's left sat a lady of some thirty years of Ige. This was Mrs. Bant, his sister-in-law and house- peeper. She was a widow of a year's standing, and was low at the table engaged in feeding her son, who had been )orn about the time of his father's death. Mrs. Bant's black hair is brushed back from a smooth ind narrow forehead. Her cold grey eyes glance from )eneath a pair of line dark eyebrows. Iler straight, iiharp nose hovers ominously above a hard, thin-lipped iouth, which is further protected from the attacks of 2 IS POLSON S I'UOHATION. J I ;:i the rude and proKimiptuous l>y a proniinuiit sluirp pointed chin. When she niovcs, lier tall, Hupple tigun< heiuls occasioniilly with a hhiirp, inipoiiou.s ^cHture. When hIh' Hpoaks in anger, as oft«'n she is said to do, her hhrill voice cuts knif(^-like through the thin partitions, and Mash ing on the listener's lieait causes it to flutter and tremble. On the whole Mrs, liaiit's appeaninci! indicates thf possession of a ready supply of petulance ; and if her HC([uaiiitances do not lihel her, her appearanci! does not lie. Besides Freid there are two other farm-students present, and these coniplete the group. Mr. Longstreet is a lanky young man, who is making a faint attempt to grow a mustache. He talks very glihlv, and often veiy amusingly. Mr. Kane is a little older, and his mustach(» is full-grown. Mis talk is chielly contined to horses and dogs, and occnsionally he injects into the general conversation such expressions as "Now ! you don't say so." " No ! " " How awfully funny," etc. The talk ran smoothly on general topics until it was interrupted by a loud howl from Mrs. Jiant's first-born. As he was not quite weaned from the natural wildness of mankind, it was his custom to seize upon the bones left on his mother's plate, and gnaw with his new-born teeth at the little flesh that remained on them. On the present occasion he had fastened his teeth in an unusually tough morsel, and he was desperately tugging at the bone with his hands when the flesh suddenly gave way. The bone whipped round, and careening against Mrs, Bant's cup of tea, upset the steaming contents on his lap. The youngster howled. Mr. Dysart frowned on him and made a face, at which he redoubled his howling, and screwed two little dimpled lists into his tearful eyes. Mrs. Bant sprang from her seat, and hugging the boyj closely, gave him a sharp smack on the ear. " You little wretch," she said snappishly ; "I will teach you to behave] better than that." "Take the squaller out, Mrs. Bant, till he quietens] down," said Mr. Dysart. Mrs. Bant sped toward the! door, and closing it behind her, passed into the kitchen. TUE DYSAUT HOUSEHOLD. 10 t sluirp p<)intiis, atul Hash FT and troiublf. iiulicatt'H the B ; and if her jc(5 docs not lie. udonta present, d)o is making a ilks very gli*>ly, little older, and Ljhietly confined njects into the STow ! you don't etc. ics until it was ant's first-honi. ural wildness of | le bones left on I -born teeth at his teeth in an irately tugging suddenly gave njj aiiainst Mis, its on his lap. •owned on him s howling, and tearful eyes -ffsjinj; the bov "You littlr you to behavr ill he quieten^ id toward the the kitchen fere her conduct changed. She pressod the boy tenderly ^nd kissed his liideousiy contorted face. *' Poor little lainbie," hIuj said HooMiingly ; •' would they lurt you ? Ah ! but niainnia won't let them. liushee, learie -don't cry." Really, Mrn. Toiuson," she adtled, addressing the cook, rjio was roasting Imt chet^ks over a tire that obstinately jfii.sed to roast anything else — "really, Mrs. Tonison, the ray Mr. I>ysart frightens and abuses my poor child is Imply shameful. (Hush, (Jeorgie, denr, be <|uiet now.) Tes, Hhnmffiil. Do you know" here she low«'red her )ice to a whisper — " I re lly believe he has a Hpitc. against le poor baby. Anything his own child dors he passes rer without a word ; but let poor little (Jeorgie even look him, he frowns and scolds." •' Keally, mum," said Mrs. Tomson, without looking up fotn the stove, "if that's the case it's too bad, mum." The case, Mrs. Tomson ! " cried Mrs. Bant in tones of lispleasod surprise. " Of course it is the case ; and really his conduct does not alter, 1 cannot remain in this hou.se luch longer." "Lor, 1 wish you wouldn't," thought Mrs. Tomson, in- wardly, but the worthy lady did not say so. Now, really, mum," she said consolingly, "you louldn't take these things so much to heart. Master )|iay be a bit fretful at times, but — there he is calling i»§ie to wipe up something; I must be off;" and the honest Mame flurried away with a dish-cloth in her hand. Mrs. Bant stayed behind to soothe her irritated pet and inie against Mr. Dysart till the cook returned with the ish-rag containing, by absorption, the greater part of the )st cup of tea. She then wreathed her face with smiles, nd went back to her place with the quietened babe. I The effect of this little occurrence on the spectators Ijuras very varied. Mr. Dysart, as w(i have seen, was dis- pleased, but on the face of his little daughter it gave rise io a look of sorrowful interest. Lonjrstreet and Poison 43vore rather embarrassed. Mr. Fane's shoulders worked Jfcharply, and he pulled nervously at his long mustaches. l' I 20 poison's prohation. " My, but it'll A Npitnfiil littlo brat," ho n^niarkr*!, wIkmi Mri. Hatit WHN out of )in«tration from one he fearod, tho refractory (loor^ijie (ln»w back «|uickly toward his mother, and screwi-d up his face preparatory for another howl. Hut little Ida smiled reproachfully at him across the table, whereupon his wrinkles relapsed and h(^ gave her an answering sniil*'. Mr. Dysart turned to his daughter and patted her gently on tlie head. *• You, my little dear, are always tho best peacemaker," he said smiling. Tho meal enchul without further interruption, and each sought his evening's occupation. Mr. Dysart, with a pair of dogs at his heels, walked toward the farm. Mr. Fane employed himself in trying to train a pup to dive into the lake after stones. Mr. Longstreet stretched himself on the sofa in the dining-room and smoked his pipe ; and Fred Poison retired to the library to study one of the latest works on social reform. He read thoughtfully, at times laying down the book to rertect on dithcult or striking passages. In one of these musing moods the twilight began to deepen around him. The room in which he sat was lighted by a large bow- window looking out upon the lake. The floor was softly carpeted, and the walls papered with a light design. The ' furniture consisted of several easy chairs, a desk, a table and ' an organ ; whilst the glass-covered book-cases that lined the walls were filled with well-bound volumes, neatly arranged. As T said before, the spring twilight was deepenin:,' around Fred Poison as he sat musing in this room. For getful of everything around him, he was leaning his fore- head on his hand and speaking to himself. TflK DYSAIIT IIorHEIlol.l). 21 /• he ronmrkrd, AnyWody would [«•(! on cmb applf iheir (MiiltirraxM rticcl, uood liumor tho Hunahitie w \y chucking tlii> 0(1, the r«^fnictot V ther, and ncrow«'d . But little Ida tahlo, whereupon atiHweririg gmilc. )atto(l luT gently always the best ruption, and each 8art, with a pair arm. Mr. Fane to divo into the died himself on his pipe ; and tudy one of tho down the book 'i in one of these ^ In around hin». by a large bow floor was softly ' jht design. Tiie desk, a table and jes that lined the neatly arranged, was deepen ini,' Ithis room. Foi lleaning his fore- Y«m, " h« inurniurod, ••the HyHteui in nundy wrong. Tim roriil in full of «'rror, and too often we uiiMtako iho faUo- lood for truth. Yet whf) aniongnt um poor niortaU can ^IwayM dJMtinguiMh betw(>en <*rror and truth / 'i'lie truth o whi» h on«« generation idingK \h rrgnrdctl uh a Vw by the irxt. Tor (M'nturieH w»« hav«» lM»rn groping in th«< HH, and even now w«> have but a v<(i with the stigma of 'mischief inker ' or ' fanatie ( 'iirried away * .i« subject, he had raised his head, and fcis ryes llashe -s he muttered the above words ; but §H he conclud , his brow sank again upon his hand and |e .isked hin.welf in troubled tones, •• What can be done I hat can be done I " lie was startled from his rev<»rie by the gentle touch of a tttle hand laid on his, and a soft voice speaking in his ear. " Mr. Poison, are you ill J " Fred lift(>(l his head and saw dimly in the twilight the [ale, sweet little face of ida Dysart looking softly into his. •' No, my dear," ho said with a smile as he lifted her on |is knee, *' I am not ill ; but i am getting rather lonely, wl you must sit and talk to me a bit." I "red was naturally a lover of children, and this one was jis special favorite. In her nature there was sonn^thing jry attractive to his einttional and iniaginative character. [h<5 seal of h<*aven statnped 'ipon hv.v face, seeming to say, 1 have claimed yc i, tarry a little, then come to M(»," gave peculiar pathos "^o her exprc^ssion which did'ustnl itself pound her, and nuide others regard Ikm* with melancholy m(l(!rnes8, whilst her strang(5 y onr iUv NiltMlt Mtjil'M tMiiir nllt Htid NplirkliMl in t llH WUtor Und till ttky, nhif HHkrd liini wondrous i|u«>NtionM til>out l>irdM, Howrt > ■tara und hII tlii« l)ri;;lit und linuitiful cnMitionM of <«y tli<« po«*ticfil in tlui'McrH around him, l''i'*'d unMw««r<r lii'Mt Ntioiit| with a ^lowiii|{ (MithuHiuHm of drMcription an(;finit' mor« I'mhiirniHSfd in hin r«'pli«*H ; ff)r Fr tViin»d to inHtil \\u •ccptirism into thin ohild'M mind. At luMt, fairly cornered by her M of till' th(^ {KM^tioiil ill r firMt (|ucHti(>nr to Miiaiiitt* from tlii> playiT tliiiti from tli<« inHtrumt>n(, lind lt*r fiio* WHH liv;lit«'d with a iiirrk K^ory that waM not of tirtli. II rr iiiuHic, too, N(Md to chimti Htly with all tlitt roicoH of natur«* around hrr, now wadly Noft ait th<* wiinin)( liooii, n<»w rinin^ to tho ^raiuhmr of thf^ ulitti*rin^ HtatM, kod anon falling in k«*ii(Ic and imp«>r<'<>p(ili|e i'lidcnccH to iN'ikI with tli«' Hili'iKM^ and Noli'intiity ot the ni^lit. Throti;;!! t«lint(, tliroui^li waiU kf a^ony, through ^t'litli^ tontm of comfort and ^laddfiiing hnutH of joy, it pa»m«'d it out of pla»M« ; Ind tin* Moul of the liMlrncr was thrill«>