thet ther whole world, pretty nigh, air at
war an' thet corn's goin' ter be wuth money enough, this crop, ter pay
fer haulin' hit."

Stacy nodded. "I reckon that's right," he said.

"An' I heers thet, deespite all contrary accounts, ther railroad aims
ter come in hyar--an' pay fa'r prices."

Turner smiled. "They had ter come round to it," he answered. "There are
more tons of coal in Marlin county than there are dollars in Jefferson
county, and Jefferson county is the richest in the state."

The farmer rested his fore-arms on the top rail of the fence and gazed
at the young man on horseback.

"I reckon us folks are right-smart beholden ter ye, Bear Cat," he
suggested diffidently. "With a chief like you, we'll see prosperity
yit."

"We don't have no chiefs here," declared the young man with a
determined setting of his jaw. "We're all free and equal. The last
chief was Kinnard Towers--and he's passed on."

"None-the-less, hit wouldn't amaze me none ter see ye git ter be the
president of this hull world," declared the other with simple
hero-worship. "Whar are ye ridin' ter?"

"I'm going over into Fletcher county to see that school there. I'm
hopin' that we can have one like it over here."

The farmer nodded. "I reckon we kin manage hit," he affirmed.

Turner had heard much of that school to which Matthew Blakey had taken
his three children--so much that all of it could hardly be true. Now he
was going to see for himself.

But his thoughts, as he rode, were beyond his control and memories of
Blossom crowded out the more impersonal things.

At last he came to a high backbone of ridge. From there he ought to be
able to catch his first glimpse of the tract which the school had
redeemed from overgrown raggedness into a model farm, but as yet the
dense leafage along the way cut off the view of the valley.

Then he came to a more open space and reined in his horse, and as he
looked out his eyes widened in astonishment.

Spreading below him, he saw such even and gracious spaces of
cultivation as were elsewhere unknown to the hills.

Down there the fences were even and the fields smooth, but what
astonished him most were the buildings. Clustered over a generous
expanse of hill and valley, of field and garden all laid out as though
some landscape gardener had made it a labor of love, were houses such
as he had dreamed of--houses with dignity of line and proportion, with
architectural beauty of design.

Everything