me upon him,
which he took to be the compensation for the variety of hard knocks
he had experienced. He was a genial, pleasant, gentle man, but his
face bore that look of settled sadness that comes into the eyes of
people for whom the world has held an awkward hour.

He was regarded by the people in the school district as a good
teacher, and, indeed, he had quite conscientiously put before his
pupils as much of the curriculum as they could conveniently grasp. He
was kind and patient with his pupils always, but he had never exerted
himself to change their outlook upon life, or to put nobler ideals
before them.

"They are happier as they are," he often thought to himself. "The ox
in the field, so long as the grass is good, is happier than most of
us with all our wisdom, and well he should be, for his days are free
from care, and when his days are over there's the quick blow and the
sharp knife, and that is not so bad."

But after Pearl came to school, he found himself going over his
neglected library to find the books that would throw light on the
many questions that she brought forward, and every evening he went
carefully over the lessons, taking a distinct pride now in making
them of interest to her.

In this way, having more to employ his thoughts, he soon began to
think of the past less sadly. Pearl's optimism was contagious.

CHAPTER XI

THE HOUSE OF TROUBLE

There! little girl--don't cry!

_----James Whitcomb Riley._

A MILE from the Chicken Hill School stood the little vermin-infested
house in which the Cavers family lived after they abandoned the
weed-choked farm on the river-bank. This unpretentious log house had
been the first home of Mr. and Mrs. Steadman, and was part of the
"improvements" specified by the Government to show that a homestead
is entered in good faith. The land had been rich and productive, and
from it George Steadman had made the money to buy the half-section of
school land just across the road and to erect the magnificent brick
house and splendid barns that were the pride of his heart.

George Steadman was so keen after money that he even overworked his
farms, and now his old farm was so impoverished that it was unable to
grow a heavy crop. This was the principal reason he had for letting
it to such an undesirable tenant as Bill Cavers. No wide-awake tenant
would take it, and, besides, if he had rented it to almost any person
else, he would have had to spend some mo