act," declared Mr. Pertell. "And, more than once, some of
them have bought old locomotives and coaches, and set them going
toward each other on the same track, to make a railroad collision."

"Do you mean it?" cried Sandy.

"I certainly do. Why, one manager actually burned up a whole mining
town just to get a good picture. He destroyed more than twenty
shacks. Of course they weren't very elaborate ones, but he got a fine
effect."

"Wa'al, then I reckon burnin' one barn isn't so wonderful," observed
Sandy.

"No, indeed. And I'll see Squire Blasdell the first thing in the
morning to get my plans ready for this. But I'm sorry to hear of your
trouble, Sandy, I sure am. What caused it; did the crops fail?"

"No, we've always had pretty good crops, or we wouldn't stay here,"
answered the young farmer. "But I don't reckon we'll be able to stay
here much longer. It will be hard for pa and ma, too. They don't want
to leave--it will break 'em all up. They've lived here all their
lives, and they counted on dyin' and bein' buried here. But I reckon
they won't now."

"Why not? Are you about to be put off the farm?"

"We will be, by fall, unless I can raise four thousand dollars--and I
can't do that, nohow," said Sandy, sadly.

"That's too bad," spoke the manager, sympathetically. "How did it all
come about? That is, if you don't mind telling me."

"Oh, no. I don't mind," answered the young farmer, in rather hopeless
tones. "You see father had a brother--Uncle Isaac he was, and he was
quite a business man, in a way. He used to farm it, but he gave that
up, and went into other schemes. I never knew rightly what they were,
but he used to make money--at least he must have got it somehow, for
he didn't work.

"Well, one time, several years ago, he came to pa and borrowed quite
a sum--more than five thousand dollars I've heard pa say it was. He
and ma had inherited most of it only a short time before from pa's
granduncle Nathan and they decided to keep it ready to pay off th'
mortgage, but 'fore pa could do that Uncle Isaac come and borrowed
it."

"But why did your uncle need to borrow money when he had so much of
his own?" asked Mr. Pertell, curiously.

"Wa'al, there was some business deal on. I never understood th' right
of it, and I don't believe pa did, either. All I know is that Uncle
Isaac got pa's money. I believe he wanted to go into some
scheme--Uncle Isaac did--and didn't have quite enough cash. He
promised to p