lad to be tried on any account, he said,
and would certainly repay the money.

"Well, I b'lieve you will if you can," said the squire. "And that's more
than I can say of everybody. I'll invest a leetle money in your future,
and I want to say this to you, that your future will depend on whether
you pay it back or not. I never seen a young man as didn't pay his debts
come to any good in my life, and I never seen one as did as didn't.
I've seen many a man'd shoot you if you dared to question his honor, an'
wouldn't pay you a dollar if he was lousy with 'em." He took out his
wallet, and untying the strings carefully, began to count out the
greenbacks.

"I have to carry a pretty good pile to buy calves with," he chuckled;
"but I reckon you'll be a fair substitute for one or two. How much do
you want--I mean, how little can you git along with?"

Gordon told him the amount his father had suggested. It was not a great
sum.

"That seems a heap of money to put in book-learnin'," said the old man,
thoughtfully, his eyes fixed on Gordon. "My whole edication didn't cost
twenty-five dollars. With all that learnin', you'd know enough to teach
the Ridge College."

Gordon, who had figured it out, began to give his necessary expenses.
When he had finished, the old man counted out his bills. Gordon said he
would give him his note for it, and his father would indorse it. The
other shook his head.

"No; I don't want any bond. I'll remember it and you'll remember it.
I've known too many men think they'd paid a debt when they'd given their
bond. I don't want you to think that. If you're goin' to pay me, you'll
do it without a bond, and if you ain't, I ain't goin' to sue you; I'm
jest goin' to think what a' o'nery cuss you are."

So Gordon returned home, and a few weeks later was delving deep into new
mysteries.

Gordon's college life may be passed over. He worked well, for he felt
that it was necessary to work.

Looking around when he left college, the only thing that appeared in
sight for Gordon Keith was to teach school. To be sure, the business;
"the universal refuge of educated indigents," as his father quoted with
a smile, was already overcrowded. But Gordon heard of a school which up
to this time had not been overwhelmed with applicants. There was a
vacancy at the Ridge College. Finally poor Gunn, after holding out as
long as he could, had laid down his arms, as all soldiers must do sooner
or later, and Gordon applied for th