ainst the wall, staring into the telephone.

"Look here!" he cried, after a moment. "There's a mistake somewhere."

"No mistake. The wire was just brought in from the Western Union
office."

"But I don't understand--"

"I'm sorry. Is there anything else?"

"No. That's all."

Even Conniston's sanguine temperament was not proof to the shock of
his father's message. He knew his father too well to hope that he
would change his mind now. His eyes showed a troubled anxiety when he
went slowly back to confront Hapgood.

"Well, what's the good news?" cried Hapgood. And then, when he had
seen Conniston's face, "Gad, man! What's wrong?"

Conniston shook his head as he sank into a chair.

"I--I'm a bit upset," he answered, unsteadily. "I made a mistake;
that's all."

"It wasn't your father?"

"That's the trouble. It was! He refuses to send a dollar. And he's
leaving to-morrow for a year in Europe."

"What!" yelled Hapgood, leaping to his feet in entire forgetfulness of
his sore muscles.

"That's it. And when the old man says he'll do a thing he'll do it."

Hapgood stared at him speechless. And then, his hands driven deep into
his pockets, he began an agitated pacing up and down the porch, his
brows drawn, his eyes squinting as they had the habit of doing when he
was excited.

"What are we going to do?" he demanded, stopping before Conniston.

"I wish that somebody would tell me! We have a couple of horses. You
have seven dollars. Maybe," with a faint, forced smile, "we can ride
back to New York!"

With a disgusted sniff Hapgood left him again to pace restlessly up
and down. And finally, when he again stopped in front of Conniston's
chair, his face was white, his thin lips set bloodlessly.

"I guess there's only one thing left to us. We'll go on into
Crawfordsville and put up for a day or two while we try to raise some
money. Your seven dollars ought to keep us from starving--"

"Will you wire your father again?"

"No. There would be no use. I tell you that when he says he is going
to do a thing that settles it. If I broke both arms and legs now he
wouldn't pay the doctor's bill."

"Then I'll tell you something, my friend!" The pale little eyes were
glowing, malevolently red. "You've played me for a sucker long enough.
You towed me along out into this cursed West of yours, making me think
all the time that when you got ready to call on your father he'd come
through like a flash. And you knew that he had