the other two failed her, Wickersham fell heir to her
blandishments. Her indifference to him had piqued him and awakened an
interest which possibly he might not otherwise have felt. He had seen
much of the world for a youngster, and could make a good show with what
he knew. He could play on the piano, and though the aged instrument
which the old countryman had got at second-hand for his granddaughter
gave forth sounds which might have come from a tinkling cymbal, yet
Ferdy played with a certain dash and could bring from it tunes which the
girl thought very fine. The two soon began to be so much together that
both Rhodes and Keith fell to rallying Ferdy as to his conquest. Ferdy
accepted it with complacency.

"I think I shall stay here while you are working up in the mountains,"
he said to his chief as the time drew near for them to leave.

"You will do nothing of the kind. I promised to take you with me, and I
will take you dead or alive."

A frown began on the youngster's face, but passed away quickly, and in
its place came a look of covert complacency.

"I thought your father had offered you five thousand dollars if you
would stick it out through, the whole trip?" Keith said.

Ferdy shut one eye slowly and gazed at Gordon with the other.

"Sickness was barred. I'll tell the old man I've studied. He'd never
drop on to the game. He is a soft old bird, anyway."

"Do you mean you are going to lie to him?" asked Gordon.

"Oh, you are sappy! All fellows lie to their governors," declared Ferdy,
easily. "Why, I wouldn't have any fun at all if I did not lie. You stay
with me a bit, my son, and I'll teach you a few useful things."

"Thank you. I have no doubt you are a capable teacher," sniffed Gordon;
"but I think I won't trouble you."

That evening, as Keith was coming from his work, he took a cross-cut
through the fields and orchard, and under an overshadowing tree he came
on Ferdy and Euphronia. They were so deeply engaged that Keith hastily
withdrew and, making a detour, passed around the orchard to the house.

At supper Mrs. Tripper casually inquired of her daughter where she had
been, a remark which might have escaped Keith's observation had not
Ferdy Wickersham answered it in some haste.

"She went after the cows," he said, with a quick look at her, "and I
went fishing, but I did not catch anything."

"I thought, Phrony, I saw you in the orchard," said her mother.

Wickersham looked at her quickly again.