d with agriculturists, for
the farms are rich and productive in that part of the state. But it is
not a flat country, and Nature has given it many pretty woodland glades
and rocky glens to add to its charm.

From the hill country at the west came several rushing streams which
tumbled along rocky paths to the river nine miles below Elmhurst, and
there are scenes along these routes that might well delight the eye of
an artist. Kenneth had often wandered into these out-of-the-way places
when a half-forgotten, neglected lad, but had not visited them for
years. Now, however, with the spirit of loneliness upon him, he suddenly
thought of a glen that would make an interesting study for a picture; so
one morning he mounted his horse and rode away to pay the place a
preliminary visit.

The farmers along the road nodded at the young fellow good-naturedly as
he passed them. Everyone knew him well by sight, yet Kenneth could not
have named many of his neighbors, having held little intercourse with
them. It struck him, this morning, that they had little cause to be
interested in him. He had been an unsociable lad, and since he had
become master of Elmhurst had done little to cultivate acquaintance with
the people who lived around him.

One reason for this was that they held little in common with him. The
neighboring farmers were honest, thrifty souls, and among them were many
both shrewd and thoughtful; but they naturally would not force
themselves upon the society of the one really rich man in their
community, especially as that man had shown no desire to know them.

Kenneth was the subject of much speculation among them, and opinions
widely differed concerning his character. Some called him a "prig" and
declared that he was "stuck up" and conceited. Others said he was a
"namby-pamby" without brains or wit. But there were a few who had
occasionally talked with the boy, who understood him better, and hinted
that he might develop into "quite a man" in time.

Kenneth surprised himself this morning by greeting several of his
neighbors with unusual cordiality. He even stopped a man who was driving
along the highway to inquire about his horse, which he perceived was
very lame. The boy knew something about horses and suggested a method of
treatment that he thought would help the nag; a suggestion the farmer
received with real gratitude.

This simple incident cheered Kenneth more than you might suppose, and he
was actually whistling