t by giving a prize with every pound of tea. He wrote me about it
and you might have supposed that he had won a Waterloo. Yet he had his
good points. Now if Rufus and I could have been combined, his physical
energy with my mental, we should have done something really worth
while."

"Yes, sir--yes, indeed, sir," I said politely. My conception of the
Professor's meaning was very faulty, but I found him engrossing because
he talked so fluently and made so many expressive gestures. He, I
suspect, was pleased with a sympathetic listener, though one so small.

Laying a hand on my shoulder, he asked: "David, what are you going to
do when you grow up?"

"I am going to be like my father," I replied.

"Like the distinguished Judge Malcolm?" he exclaimed. "That's a high
ambition--for the valley." He was standing over me pulling his chin,
and from the manner in which he eyed me I believe that he quite
approved my choice of a model. Suddenly his arms shot out. "Try to be
more, David. Try to be what Rufus and I combined would have been. Try
to work for something better than three meals a day. Wake up, David,
before you fall asleep in a land where everybody dozes like the very
dogs."

To enforce his admonition his hands closed on my shoulders; he lifted
me from my chair and began to shake me. Being so much in earnest he
was rather violent, so that James, now in the doorway, saw me wincing
and looking up with a grimace of fright and eyes of pleading.

"Steady there, man," he cried. He thought that he was just in time to
rescue me from torture, and came forward with his whip raised.

"I beg your pardon," said the Professor, dropping me gently into my
chair. "I didn't mean to hurt you, David. Did I hurt you?"

"Not at all, sir," I answered, and feeling more at ease with James near
I made a dive for my coat and hat.

"Well," said James, glaring at my host. "I advise you to keep your
hands off anyway, for if I catch you a-hurting of him again--" There
was a terrible threat in the eyes and in the upraised butt of the whip,
but suddenly the manner changed, for James was looking at the bottle on
the table and it had a strangely quieting influence on his temper. The
blaze died away from his eyes; his voice became soft to meekness; the
whip fell limply. "I might think you'd done it a-purpose, Professor,
and you know I allus tries to be friendly."

"I hardly believe David will complain of my treatment," returned th