f buying both places in simply from a sense of
public spirit. I ain't going to let those smiling acres go into alien
hands if I know myself--not if I ruin myself in the deal."

"Few men would show such spirit as that, Mr. Crothers!"

Lans was deeply impressed.

"Well, sir, a man as has the right stuff in him gets sentimental about
something. My weakness is my--South! I came from mighty good stock,
sir. I was in the university when the war broke out; I left and did my
share of fighting and then came back to--well!" Crothers' eyes grew
misty. His feelings almost overcame him and Lans Treadwell was equally
moved.

"Since then it has been an upward climb. I gave up love, home, and
marriage. I've become a coarse man in the fight, but my heart is true
to the ideals and principles of the South. I have dreams, too, of the
day when the best blood--blood such as yours, sir, recognizes the need
of the hills and comes back with its tradition and force
to--to--reclaim us-all socially, religiously, and--and--morally. It
will mean sacrifice, sir. The North, with its luxury and ease, will be
hard to leave, but life is sacrifice to men, sir, and the day will dawn
when the Hertfords will come to The Hollow with determination to
control affairs. I'm going to hold their place ready, sir, for that
day!" This sounded almost too fine to be true, and even Lans demanded
details.

Then it was that Crothers laid his foundations. He would buy the
Hertford plantation; the Walden, also, if he could. He suspected that
back taxes could not be met by the legitimate owners--if they could be
disentangled from the mists that surrounded their possessions--he meant
to get them into his own power. Then it further appeared that should
Lans Treadwell desire to return to the hills of his fathers, the way
would be made easy, and with Crothers to back the efforts of the "blue
blood" a very respectable opposition would evolve to check the growing
strength of such men as Sandy Morley.

"Morley's all right as far as he goes," Crothers interjected; "I ain't
got nothing to say against Morley as Morley, but what I do say is--does
the South want to be led out of darkness by a poor white when its own
blue blood only needs a chance to flow through?"

Lans looked serious. He felt disloyal to Sandy; old associations
tugged at his heart; but all at once the story of Sandy's relations
with a girl in Boston, the story coloured and underlined by Olive