The Project Gutenberg EBook of Thurston of Orchard Valley, by Harold Bindloss

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Title: Thurston of Orchard Valley

Author: Harold Bindloss

Illustrator: W. Herbert Dunton

Release Date: June 28, 2009 [EBook #29266]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THURSTON OF ORCHARD VALLEY ***

Produced by Al Haines

[Illustration: Cover art]

[Frontispiece: "The Slight Figure that Swayed to the Stride of a
Galloping Horse"--_Chapter XXIX_]

Thurston of

Orchard Valley

_By_ Harold Bindloss

Author of "By Right of Purchase," "Lorimer of the Northwest," "Alton of
Somasco," etc.

with Frontispiece

By W. HERBERT DUNTON

A. L. BURT COMPANY

Publishers ------ New York

COPYRIGHT, 1910, BY

FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY

_All rights reserved_

_February, 1910_

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. "THURSTON'S FOLLY"
II. A DISILLUSION
III. GEOFFREY'S FIRST CONTRACT
IV. GEOFFREY MAKES PROGRESS
V. THE LEGENDS OF CROSBIE GHYLL
VI. MILLICENT'S REWARD
VII. THE BREAKING OF THE JAM
VIII. A REST BY THE WAY
IX. GEOFFREY STANDS FIRM
X. SAVINE'S CONFIDENCE
XI. AN INSPIRATION
XII. GEOFFREY TESTS HIS FATE
XIII. A TEST OF LOYALTY
XIV. THE WORK OF AN ENEMY
XV. A GREAT UNDERTAKING
XVI. MILLICENT TURNS TRAITRESS
XVII. THE INFATUATION OF ENGLISH JIM
XVIII. THE BURSTING OF THE SLUICE
XIX. THE ABDUCTION OF BLACK CHRISTY
XX. UNDER THE STANLEY PINES
XXI. REPARATION
XXII. A REPRIEVE
XXIII. THE ULTIMATUM
XXIV. AN UNEXPECTED ALLY
XXV. MILLICENT'S REVOLT
XXVI. A RECKLESS JOURNEY
XXVII. MRS. SAVINE SPEAKS HER MIND
XXVIII. LESLIE STEPS OUT
XXIX. A REVELATION

Thurston of Orchard Valley

CHAPTER I

"THURSTON'S FOLLY"

It was a pity that Geoffrey Thurston was following in his grandfather's
footsteps, the sturdy dalefolk said, and several of them shook their
heads solemnly as they repeated the observation when one morning the
young man came striding down the steep street of a village in the North
Coun