did, as all weak and vacillating natures do,
resent young Morley's strength of character, simplicity and capacity
for winning to himself that which Lans felt belonged to him by inherent
justice. It had been one thing to know that his Uncle Levi Markham had
taken another young man and set him on his feet, but quite another to
realize that his uncle had adopted a poor white from the native hills
of the Hertfords and was providing him with wings. A new element had
entered into Lans.

"It's like Uncle Levi," he bitterly thought, with his Aunt Olive's
instructions well in mind, "to so degrade me, my father, and our
family. If he could put every upstart on a throne who had hewed his
way to the throne, he would be supremely happy."

In these frames of mind Crothers and Treadwell met and exchanged views.
If Morley could put a factory up and hope for success, Lans wanted to
see the workings of a similar business already on the ground. So,
during listless hours, the young man frequented Crothers'
neighbourhood, ate at Crothers' boarding-house, and drank with him at
The Forge hotel. Not looking for any shortcomings, Lans did not
observe them. He found Crothers an agreeable man with a desire to
uplift The Hollow by practical, legitimate methods, not fool-flights of
fancy. Then, too, Crothers had a fine sense of the fitness of things.
He deplored the fact that a man of Sandy Morley's antecedents should,
by the vulgar power of money, gain control over the people.

"I tell you, sir," Crothers exclaimed, "the South has got to be
reclaimed through blood; not mongrel blood backed by dirty money!"

This sounded very fine to Lans Treadwell.

"Now, I was a thinking this-er-way lately: 'Spose young Hertford came
and took command 'stead of young Morley? 'Spose the old place of the
Hertfords was rebuilt and the family established here again--what would
happen, sir? I put it to you right plain and friendly."

Lans was thrilled. He rose to any vision called up by another; as for
himself he was no vision-builder. His face flushed and his eyes
flashed.

"I have never thought of it that way," he said; "as you put it, it
seems almost an imperative duty that the best Southern blood should
return to the hills and reconstruct where and in the manner it alone
understands."

"Exactly. Now I reckon you don't know, sir, but there are mighty big
back taxes unpaid on the Walden place and--and your forefathers' land,
sir. I'm thinking o