e you, teaching you all
the meanings of Strife, and Sacrifice, and Service symbolized above our
doorway in our proud College initial letter. The Supremacy is yet to
come. Will you follow my counsel? I'll take care of Bug, and we will
keep Burgess out of this for a while."

Burleigh thought he understood, and the silent hand clasp pledged the
faith of the country boy to the teacher's wishes.

It is only in story books that events leap out as pages are turned,
events that take days on days of real life to compass. In the swing of
one brief year Lagonda Ledge knew little change. New cement walks were
built south almost to the Kickapoo Corral. A new manufacturing concern
had bonds voted for it at an exciting election, and a squabble for a
suitable site was in process. Vincent Burgess and Victor Burleigh, two
strong men, were growing actually chummy, and Trench declared he was
glad they had decided to quit playing marbles for keeps and hiding each
other's caps.

And now the springtime of the year was on the beautiful Walnut Valley.
Elinor and Dennie, Trench, "Limpy," the crippled student, and Victor
Burleigh were all on the home-stretch of their senior year. One more
June Commencement day and Sunrise would know them no more. Beyond
all this there was nothing new at Lagonda Ledge until suddenly the
white-haired woman was up at Pigeon Place, again, a fact known only to
old Bond Saxon and little Bug, who saw her leave the train. The little
blue smoke-twist was again rising lazily in the warm May air, and
somebody was systematically robbing houses in town, and Bond Saxon was
often drunk and hiding away from sight. A May storm sent the Walnut
booming down the valley, bank full, cutting off traffic at the town
bridge, but the days that followed were a joy. A tenderly green world it
was now, all blossom-decked, and blown across by the gentle May zephyrs,
with nothing harsh nor cruel in it, unless the rushing river down below
the shallows might seem so. The Kickapoo Corral, luxuriant with flowers,
and springing grass, and May green foliage, told nothing of the old-time
siege and sorrow of Swift Elk and the Fawn of the Morning Light.

On the night after the storm Professor Burgess stopped at the Saxon
House.

"Where is your father, Dennie?" he asked.

"He went up north to help somebody out of the mud and water, I suppose,"
Dennie replied. "He is the kindest neighbor, and he has been trying
to--to keep straight. He told me when