e Ida came into
his life.

The gloom and reticence of those dark-green forests had wrought him
into the reticent, serious man he was. He was not gloomy naturally, he
was strong and hopeful, but this was one of those moments which appall
a man, even a young man--or more properly, especially a young man.

He did not go down to dinner, but sat in his room till late; then when
hunger compelled, he went out to a vast cafe, where he could be more
alone. It seemed that night as if all incentive to live were gone; but
he went to the session next day in a mechanical sort of a way, and each
day thereafter in the same way, though he took no interest in the
proceedings.

Clancy had his suspicions and had to verify them.

"Talcott, you're off y'r feed. Girl gone back on yeh?"

Bradley refused to reply and Clancy took delight in spreading the story
among his gang. They respected Bradley's physique too much to push him
unduly, however.

Nature slowly reasserted itself, and as the weeks went by he regained
his interest in the work; but the sparkle, the allurement of life, was
gone, and he went about with more of the purely mechanical in his
actions.

He read now every available bit of news relating to the farmers' rising
in the West, in the hope that Ida's work would be mentioned in it. The
papers were getting savage in their attack upon the movement in Kansas.
It was said to mean repudiation; that it was a movement of the
shiftless and unscrupulous citizens which destroyed the credit of the
State and disturbed social conditions wantonly. The West seemed on the
point of upheaval, and Kansas seemed to be the centre of the feeling of
unrest.

XXVIII.

SPRING CONVENTIONS.

The session wore along monotonously--at least to those who like Bradley
took no interest in the bitter partisan wrangling--and suddenly it came
upon him that spring was near. There came a couple of sunny days after
three days of warm rain and the grass grew suddenly green. A robin
hunting worms on the lawn laughed out audaciously one morning as
Bradley went across the path. There seemed to be a mysterious awakening
thrill in every plant and animal. The distant hills grew soft in
outline.

A few days and the Spirea Japonica flamed out in yellow, the quince in
the hedges showed its rose-colored tips of bursting blooms and on the
red buds grew wonderful garnet-colored fists soon to open into
beautiful palms of flowers. The gardeners got out with rak