t
a map from his office and with it in his hand walked down the curve of
the river and over Poplar Hill and beyond. Early breakfast was ready
when he got back to the hotel. He swallowed a cup of coffee so hastily
that it burned him, and June, when she passed his window on her way to
school, saw him busy over his desk. She started to shout to him, but
he looked so haggard and grim that she was afraid, and went on, vaguely
hurt by a preoccupation that seemed quite to have excluded her. For two
hours then, Hale haggled and bargained, and at ten o'clock he went to
the telegraph office. The operator who was speculating in a small way
himself smiled when he read the telegram.

"A thousand an acre?" he repeated with a whistle. "You could have got
that at twenty-five per--three months ago."

"I know," said Hale, "there's time enough yet." Then he went to his
room, pulled the blinds down and went to sleep, while rumour played with
his name through the town.

It was nearly the closing hour of school when, dressed and freshly
shaven, he stepped out into the pale afternoon and walked up toward the
schoolhouse. The children were pouring out of the doors. At the gate
there was a sudden commotion, he saw a crimson figure flash into the
group that had stopped there, and flash out, and then June came swiftly
toward him followed closely by a tall boy with a cap on his head. That
far away he could see that she was angry and he hurried toward her. Her
face was white with rage, her mouth was tight and her dark eyes were
aflame. Then from the group another tall boy darted out and behind
him ran a smaller one, bellowing. Hale heard the boy with the cap call
kindly:

"Hold on, little girl! I won't let 'em touch you." June stopped with him
and Hale ran to them.

"Here," he called, "what's the matter?"

June burst into crying when she saw him and leaned over the fence
sobbing. The tall lad with the cap had his back to Hale, and he waited
till the other two boys came up. Then he pointed to the smaller one and
spoke to Hale without looking around.

"Why, that little skate there was teasing this little girl and--"

"She slapped him," said Hale grimly. The lad with the cap turned. His
eyes were dancing and the shock of curly hair that stuck from his absurd
little cap shook with his laughter.

"Slapped him! She knocked him as flat as a pancake."

"Yes, an' you said you'd stand fer her," said the other tall boy who was
plainly a mountain