eavy mane of dark hair, and ruddy cheeks made the
contrast striking. From the first day of their meeting, the children were
playmates and companions as often as opportunity offered. They sat
together in the Grass River Sabbath School; they exchanged days on days of
visits, and the first sorrow of their hitherto unclouded lives came when
they found that Leigh was too far away to attend the week-day school.

Settlers were filling up the valley rapidly, but they all wanted ranches,
and ranches do not make close neighbors. Land-lust sometimes overshadows
the divine rights of children. And the lower part of the settlement was
not yet equal to the support of a school of its own.

The two families still kept the custom of spending their Sabbaths
together. And one Sabbath Thaine showed Leigh the books and slate and
sponge and pencils he was to take to school the next week. Leigh, who had
been pleased with all of them, turned to her guardian, saying gravely:

"Uncle Jim, can I go to school wif Thaine?"

"You must meet that question every day now, Jim," Asher said. "Why not
answer it and be rid of it?"

"How can I answer it?" Jim queried.

"Virgie, help us with this educational problem of the State," Asher turned
to his wife. "Women are especially resourceful in these things, Jim. I
hope Kansas will fully recognize the fact some day."

"Who is Kansas?" Virginia asked with a smile.

"Oh, all of us men who depend so much on some woman's brain every day of
our lives," Jim assured her. "Tell me, what to do for my little girl. Mrs.
Bennington and some of the other neighbors say I should send her East for
her sake--"

"And for both of your sakes, Jim, I say, no," Virginia broke in. "The way
must open for all of our children here. It always has for everything else,
you know."

"Thaine can walk the two miles. He's made of iron, anyhow. But Leigh can't
make the five miles 'up stream,'" Asher declared.

"Jim," Virginia Aydelot said gravely, "Pryor Gaines will be our teacher
for many years, we hope, but he is hardly equal to tilling his ground now.
John Jacobs holds the mortgage on his claim still that he put there after
the grasshopper loan, which he could not pay. Life is an uphill pull for
him, and he bears his burdens so cheerfully. I believe Mr. Jacobs would
take the claim and pay him the equity. We all know how unlike a Shylock
John Jacobs really is, even if he is getting rich fast. Now, Jim, why not
take Pryor into your h