ited with deepest interest. It was
enthralling romance to them.

"Ed Brann done it," said one.

"How?" asked another.

"With the butt end of his whip."

"That's a lie! His team ran into Lohr's rig."

"Not much; Ed crowded him into the ditch."

"What fer?"

"Cause Bert cut him out with Maud."

"Come, get out of the way! Don't stand there gabbing," yelled Hartley,
as he took Albert in his arms and, together with the doctor, lifted him
out of the sleigh.

"Goodness sakes alive! Ain't it terrible! How is he?" asked an old lady,
peering at him as he passed.

On the porch stood Mrs. Welsh, supported by Ed Brann.

"She's all right, I tell you. He ain't hurt much, either; just stunned a
little, that's all."

"Maud! child!" cried the mother, as Maud appeared, followed by a bevy of
girls.

"_I'm_ all right, mother," she said, running into the trembling arms
outstretched toward her; "but, oh, poor Albert!"

After the wounded man disappeared into the house the crowd dispersed.
Brann went off by the way of the alley; he was not prepared to meet the
questions of his accusers.

"Now, what in ---- you been up to?" was the greeting of his brother, as
he re-entered the shop.

"Nothing."

"Welting a man on the head with a whip-stock ain't anything, hey?"

"I didn't touch him. We was racing, and he run into the culvert."

"Hank says he saw you strike him."

"He lies! I was strikin' the horse to make him break!"

"Oh, yeh was!" sneered the older man. "Well, I hope you understand that
this'll ruin you in this town. If you didn't strike him, they'll say you
run him into the culvert, 'n' every man, woman, 'n' child'll be down on
you, and _me_ f'r bein' related to you. They all know how you feel
toward him for cuttin' you out with Maud Welsh."

"Oh, don't bear down on him too hard, Joe. He didn't mean t' do any
harm," said Troutt, who had followed Ed down to the store. "I guess the
young feller 'll come out all right. Just go kind o' easy till we see
how he turns out. If he dies, why, it'll haf t' be looked into."

Ed turned pale and swallowed hastily. "If he should die I'll be a
murderer," he thought. He acknowledged that hate was in his heart, and
he shivered as he remembered the man's white face with the bright red
stream flowing down behind his ear and over his cheek. It almost seemed
to him that he _had_ struck him, so close had the accident followed upon
the fall of his whip.

III

Albert sank into a