r though he might not have the prospect of as much money as
Radnor Gaylord, he was infinitely the steadier of the two. Mattison was
a good-looking and rather ill-natured young giant, but it did not strike
me at the time, nor later in the light of succeeding events, that he was
particularly endowed with brains. By way of occupation, he was described
as being in "politics"; at that time he was sheriff of the county, and
was fully aware of the importance of the office.

I fear that Polly had a good deal of the coquette in her make-up, and
she thoroughly enjoyed the jealousy between the two young men. Whenever
Radnor by any chance incurred her displeasure, she retaliated by
transferring her smiles to Mattison; and the virtuous young sheriff took
good care that if Rad committed any slips, Polly should hear of them. As
a result, they succeeded in keeping his temper in a very inflammable
state.

I had not been long at Four-Pools before I commenced to see that there
was an undercurrent to the life of the household which I had not at
first suspected. The Colonel had grown strict as he grew old; his
experience with his elder son had made him bitter, and he did not adopt
the most diplomatic way of dealing with Radnor. The boy had inherited a
good share of his father's stubborn temper and indomitable will; the
two, living alone, inevitably clashed. Radnor at times seemed possessed
of the very devil of perversity; and if he ever drank or gambled, it
was as much to assert his independence as for any other reason. There
were days when he and his father were barely on speaking terms.

Life at the plantation, however, was for the most part easy-going and
flexible, as is likely to be the case in a bachelor establishment. We
dropped cigar ashes anywhere we pleased, cocked our feet on the parlor
table if we saw fit, and let the dogs troop all over the place. I spent
the greater part of my time on horseback, riding about the country with
Radnor on business for the farm. He, I soon discovered, did most of the
actual work, though his father was still the nominal head of affairs.
The raising of thorough-breds is no longer the lucrative business that
it used to be, and it required a good manager to bring the balance out
on the right side of the ledger. Rad was such a spectacular looking
young fellow that I was really surprised to find what sound business
judgment he possessed. He insisted upon introducing modern methods where
his father would