nt a sort of
frenzy was upon him. He flung out of the saddle, and left his horse
at the veranda. He rushed into his sitting room, and, in a sort of
impotent excitement and anger, he paced the floor.

He went through the little house without object or reason. At the
kitchen door he stood staring out, lost in a troubled sea of racing
thought. Presently he returned to the sitting room. He was about to
pass out on to the veranda, but abruptly paused. With a gesture of
impatient defiance he returned to his bedroom and drew a black bottle
of rye whisky from beneath the mattress of his bed. Without waiting to
procure a glass he withdrew the cork, and, thrusting the neck of the
bottle into his mouth, took a long "pull" at the contents. After a
moment he removed it, and gasped with the scorch of the powerful
liquor. Then he took another long drink. Finally he replaced the cork
and returned the bottle to its hiding place.

A few moments later he was on the veranda again looking out over the
village with brooding eyes. For a long while he stood thus, his
stimulated thought rushing madly through his brain. Then, later, he
became aware of movement down there in the direction of the Meeting
House. He realized that service was over. In a few moments Bill would
return for the mid-day meal which was all unprepared.

With a short, hard laugh he left the veranda and mounted his patient
horse. Then, at another headlong gallop, he raced down toward the
village.

* * * * *

It was sundown the following day. A horse stood grazing in the midst
of a small grass patch surrounded by a thick bush of spruce, and
maple, and blue gums. A velvet twilight was gathering over all, and
the sky above was melting to the softer hues of evening.

The horse hobbled about in that eager equine fashion when in the midst
of a generous feed of sweet grass. Its saddle was slightly awry upon
its back, and its forelegs were through the bridle reins, which
trailed upon the ground. The creature seemed more than content with
its lot, and the saddle disturbed it not at all.

Once or twice it looked up from its occupation. Then it went on
grazing. Then, quite suddenly, it raised its head with a start, and
the movement caused it to raise a foreleg caught in the trailing
reins. Something was moving in the bushes.

It stood thus for some moments. Its gaze was apprehensively fixed upon
the recumbent figure of a man just within the bush.