er across the shoulders, but not so tall," said the young man.

"He is a pretty tall man," said the squire, slowly, with the light of
reflection in his eye. "You're a-goin' to try the Ridge College, are
you?" He had a quizzical twinkle in his eye as it rested on the younger
man's face.

"I'm going to try it." And Gordon's face lit up. "I don't know much, but
I'll do the best I can."

His modesty pleased the other.

"You know more than Jake Dennison, I reckon, except about devilment. I
was afred you mightn't be quite up to the place here; you was rather
young when I seen you last." He measured him as he might have done a
young bullock.

"Oh, I fancy I shall be," interrupted the young man, flushing at the
suggestion.

"You've got to learn them Dennison boys, and them Dennison boys is
pretty hard to learn anything. You will need all the grit you've got."

"Oh, I'll teach them," asserted Gordon, confidently. The old man's eye
rested on him.

"'Tain't _teachin'_ I'm a-talkin' about. It's _learnin'_ I'm tellin' you
they need. You've got to learn 'em a good deal, or they'll learn you.
Them Dennison boys is pretty slow at learnin'."

The young man intimated that he thought he was equal to it.

"Well, we'll see," grunted the old fellow, with something very like a
twinkle in his deep eyes. "Not as they'll do you any harm without you
undertake to interfere with them," he drawled. "But you're pretty young
to manage 'em jest so; you ain't quite big enough either, and you're too
big to git in through the cat-hole. And I allow that you don't stand no
particular show after the first week or so of gittin' into the house any
other way."

"I'll get in, though, and I won't go in through the cat-hole either.
I'll promise you that, if you'll sustain me."

"Oh, I'll sustain you," drawled the squire. "I'll sustain you in
anything you do, except to pizon 'em with _slow_ pizon, and I ain't
altogether sure that wouldn' be jest manslaughter."

"All right." Keith's eyes snapped, and presently, as the outer man's
gaze rested on him, his snapped also.

So the compact was struck, and the trustee went on to give further
information.

"Your hours will be as usual," said he: "from seven to two and fo' to
six in summer, and half-past seven to two and three to five in winter,
and you'll find all the books necessary in the book-chist. We had to
have 'em locked up to keep 'em away from the rats and the
dirt-daubers. Some of 'em's right sm