s freely given.
So it was no surprise to learn that he was suffering from temporary
financial embarrassment at a time when he would have liked, as usual,
to help a friend.

"Say," he suddenly exclaimed, starting from his troubled reverie; "in
order to make all safe, you've got to have money enough to file on
that land when you go down; there's no 'if's' nor 'and's' about that!
Your father would never 'a' hesitated a minute about borrowing the
money for such a purpose, if he had it to do. Now, Jim Jackson--over
Archeleuta way--he's owing me quite a consid'able. I'll go over there
to-day and see what I can do with him. He'll help us out if he can,
but he's been having sickness in his family, and maybe he can't; we'll
have to take our chances. I do' no's a hold-up is ever justifiable,"
he continued, with a humorous twinkle in his bright eyes; "but if it
is, this would be one of the times. I hope we won't be drove to that!"

He took his departure shortly after, going back home to exchange his
team--to the detriment of his own affairs, I'm afraid--for a
saddle-horse, the better to perform the somewhat hazardous journey up
"Archeleuta way," but, before going, he enjoined us, if we had any
written proof of Jessie's coming of age on the morrow, to look it up
and have it in readiness to offer in evidence, in case the fact were
questioned.

"Your coming of age to-morrow is of so much importance that it seems
almost too good to be true," he said, earnestly.

So, after he had gone, Jessie took the big family Bible down from the
book shelf, and, opening the book, turned to the pages where the
Gordon family record had been carefully kept for many years. We knew,
of course, that there could be no mistake, but it was pleasant to see
the proof of our security in indisputable black and white.

"I'm afraid that Mr. Wilson will get nothing out of the Jacksons,"
Jessie remarked, as we turned away from a prolonged inspection of the
record; "he has had bad luck, and I heard, the other day, that Ted had
broken his arm."

"I'm not going to be afraid about anything now," I declared valiantly.
"I'm sure we'll come out all right. Mercy on us! What was that?" I
broke off, as a chorus of mingled outcries came to our ears. Outside
the doorway there appeared to be, judging by the sound, a lively
commotion, in which cat, dog, and boy were each bearing a part. We ran
out in alarm and found Ralph just picking himself up off the ground
upon which