d so much of the drudgery will be taken away."

"Won't that be splendid!" Betty replied. "How did you ever think of
all those things? Why, the people didn't know you were thinking so
much about their welfare when you were living all alone, and when they
said you were crazy."

"No, girl, they did not know," and the old man gazed thoughtfully off
into space. "They believed that I was a fool, and perhaps they had
reason for so thinking. You see, I was very poor and had no means of
carrying out my plans. It has always been the way, and why should I
have expected anything different from thousands of others who have
tried to help their fellow men? But now things have changed, and they
will soon learn that old David was not so crazy after all."

They were seated upon the bank of the stream as they thus talked. On a
bough of a near-by tree a squirrel was scolding, and off in the
distance several crows were lifting up their raucous voices. Betty
picked up a stone and tossed it into the water below, and then watched
with interest as it fell with a splash.

"I can throw farther than you, Mr. David," she bantered. "I can throw
a stone to that big rock over there."

"I haven't thrown a stone in a long time, my child," was the reply.

"Well, try it then," was the command. "Here is a nice smooth one."

Rising to his feet, David took the stone and with a wide sweep of his
long arm hurled it far down the stream almost to the base of the rock.

"You didn't do it," Betty shouted with delight. "I can beat that, see
if I can't."

She half turned to pick up another stone when she suddenly paused as
her eyes rested upon a man coming toward them. It was Peter Sinclair,
and as he drew near and spoke to them, it seemed to Betty that the
atmosphere had changed, and the day was not as fine as it had been but
a few seconds before. She wanted to get away, for this man's presence
seemed to weigh upon her in an ominous manner. The reason why she
could not explain.

"Having a nice time here, eh?" Mr. Sinclair remarked, as he sat down
upon the bank. "That walk has puffed me. Do you come up here often?"
he asked, turning toward Betty.

"Whenever Mr. David takes the notion," was her reply. "I always come
with him, and we have such a pleasant time."

"And do you always stop here and spend your time in throwing stones at
that rock? Are you not wasting your time?"

"We might be doing worse, though," Betty replied, somewhat ne