es, and who had never but once, and that was during
the war, lacked the luxuries of life, could not understand why his
grief should be so overwhelming; but they could understand that they
had been deceived, and even the gentle-spirited Bert was indignant
over it. The impulsive Don could scarcely restrain himself. He walked
angrily up and down the floor, thrashing his boots with his
riding-whip and cracking it in the air so viciously that the ponies
danced about in their stalls.

"Dave," said Bert, at length, "are we to understand that your father
and brother came to us and got that money without any authority from
you?"

"That's just what they did," sobbed David.

"And you never saw a cent of it?"

"Not one cent, or mother either."

"Well, what of it?" exclaimed Don. "Brace up and be a man, Dave. A
ten-dollar bill is not an everlasting fortune."

"I know it isn't much to you, but it is a good deal to me. You don't
know what the loss of it means. It means corn-bread and butter-milk
for breakfast, dinner and supper."

"Well, what of that?" said Don, again. "I have eaten more than one
dinner at the Gayoso House, in Memphis--and it is one of the best
hotels in the country--when corn-bread and butter-milk were down in
the bill of fare as part of the dessert."

"Well, if all the folks who stop at that hotel had to live on it, as
we do, they would call for something else," replied David. "How am I
to settle Silas Jones's bill, I'd like to know?"

"Never mind Silas Jones's bill. If he says anything more to you about
it, tell him that you don't owe him a cent."

"And how am I to send my quails away? That man said the charges must
be paid."

"Ah! that's a more serious matter," said Don, placing his hands on
his hips, and looking down at the floor.

"It is all serious to me," said David, brushing the tears from his
eyes, "but I'll work through somehow. I'll go home now and think
about it, and if I don't earn that money in spite of all my bad luck,
it will not be because I don't try."

"That's the way to talk," said Don, giving David an encouraging slap
on the back. "That's the sort of spirit I like. Bert and I will see
you again, perhaps this afternoon. In the meantime we'll talk the
matter over, and if we three fellows are not smart enough to beat the
two who are opposing us, we'll know the reason why."

David hurried out of the barn, in order to hide his tears, which
every instant threatened to break forth afr