t is now; new with the charm of novelty--not new
because it had ceased to progress, as is now the case. Scattered around
here within a radius of a dozen miles were half-a-dozen other young men
like myself, who had immigrated to the far west, in the spirit of
romantic adventure; and once here, were forced to do whatever came to
our hands to gain a subsistence. I lived on a farm which I improved,
keeping house quite by myself, and spending my leisure hours in study.
Of course, the other young men, similarly situated, often visited me,
and we usually talked over authors, or such questions of the day as we
were familiar with or interested in.

"But one evening love was the theme of our conversation, and incidently,
Teresa's name was mentioned among us. I don't know who first uttered it,
but I observed at once, that the faces of all three of my companions
betrayed an interest too strong and too peculiar to be attributed to an
ordinary acquaintanceship with the subject of our remarks. For myself, I
felt my own face flushing hotly, as a horrible suspicion seized my
consciousness, becoming on the instant, conviction too painful to
endure.

"You being a woman, cannot imagine the situation. I believed myself to
be Teresa's accepted lover; and so I knew intuitively, did all my three
companions; their faces revealing their thoughts to me, as did mine to
them. Whatever you women do in the presence of your rivals, I know not.
Men rage. It is not often, either, that a man encounters more than one
rival at a time. But three!--each of us poor rivals saw three rivals
before him. Whatever of friendship had hitherto existed among us was
forgotten in the extreme anguish of the moment, and we sat glaring at
each other in silence, with heaving chests and burning brows.

"All but Charlie Darling--darling Charlie, we used to call him--his face
was deathly white, and his eyes glowed like a panther's in the dark. Yet
he was the first to recover himself. 'Boys,' said he, 'we ought not to
have brought a lady's name into the discussion; but since Teresa's has
been mentioned, we may as well have an understanding. I consider the
young lady as engaged to me, and you will please remember that fact when
you are talking of her.'

"He said it bravely, proudly, though his lip trembled a little, but he
eyed us unflinchingly. No one replied for some moments. Then Tom Allen,
a big clumsy, good-hearted, but conceited fellow, lifted his eyes
slowly, and answ