inued; "He's come home, Dad,
with all his fine clothes and city airs, and now she'll go away
with him, and we won't never see her again."

As he began to put his thoughts into words, the giant got upon his
feet, and walked the floor like one insane. "He shan't have her,"
he cried, clenching his great fists; "he shan't have her. If he
was a man I could stand it, Dad. But look at him! Look at him,
will you? The little white-faced, washed out runt, what is he? He
ain't no man, Dad. He ain't even as much of a man as he was. And
Sammy is--God! What a woman she is! You've been a tellin' me that
I could be a gentleman, even if I always lived in the backwoods.
But you're wrong, Dad, plumb wrong. I ain't no gentleman. I can't
never be one. I'm just a man. I'm a--a savage, a damned beast, and
I'm glad of it." He threw back his shaggy head, and his white
teeth gleamed through his parted lips, as he spoke in tones of mad
defiance.

"Dad, you say there's some things bigger'n learnin', and such, and
I reckon this here's one of them. I don't care if that little
whelp goes to all the schools there is, and gets to be a president
or a king; I don't care if he's got all the money there is between
here and hell; put him out here in the woods, face to face with
life where them things don't count, and what is he? What is he,
Dad? He's nothin'! plumb nothin'!"

The old shepherd waited quietly for the storm to pass. The big
fellow would come to himself after a time; until then, words were
useless. At last Young Matt spoke in calmer tones; "I run away,
Dad. I had to. I was afraid I'd hurt him. Something inside o' me
just fought to get at him, and I couldn't a held out much longer.
I don't want to hurt nobody, Dad. I reckon it was a seein' 'em
together that did it. It's a God's blessin' I come away when I
did; it sure is." He dropped wearily into his chair again.

Then the teacher spoke, "It is always a God's blessing, lad, when
a man masters the worst of himself. You are a strong man, my boy.
You hardly know your strength. But you need always to remember
that the stronger the man, the easier it is for him to become a
beast. Your manhood depends upon this, and upon nothing else, that
you conquer and control the animal side of yourself. It will be a
sad moment for you, and for all of us who love you, if you ever
forget. Don't you see, lad, it is this victory only that gives you
the right to think of yourself as a man. Mind, I say to think o