erned. Then he buys some more whenever he has the ready cash. It
is all working for him,--so he says. He owns more earth than he has
any idea of. He doesn't know how much stock he has; doesn't even knows
what happens to his farm implements once he pays for them; in some
cases doesn't know if they have been delivered to him. Often he finds
some of them when the snow goes away in the spring time. There are
many things he doesn't know; all the same it isn't safe to take too
many chances on what he passes up."

"Then he has got too rich for blacksmithing?"

"Not he! Royce Pederstone is not that kind of a man, Phil. He is just
too busy. He is going to be the next member of parliament from the
Valley. Watch and see!

"The new election comes off in three months' time. Last week the
Association met to elect their representative. Some were for
Barrington of Armstrong, others for Brenchfield the Mayor. They
couldn't agree. Royce Pederstone was chairman of the meeting. At
midnight they were as far off a decision as ever. Someone proposed
John Royce Pederstone, and it carried without a dissenting voice.

"He's a cracking good man, is Pederstone, on the platform. He is
straight, honest and more or less of a farmer. Ben Todd, the editor,
is hand and glove with him, so he will have _The Vernock and District
Advertiser_ at his back.

"The old government is sure to be kicked out of office, if only to
give the people a change; so, who is going to keep Royce Pederstone
from being the Valley's representative at Victoria, I should like to
know?"

"And that's why he's stepping out of the blacksmith's shop?" put in
Phil.

"Yes!--that's the why, boy."

Next morning at six o'clock Phil, in the company of Jim Langford,
presented himself at Pederstone's forge.

"Hullo!" cried Jim, "that's funny. Not open yet!"

The front door was heavily barred across. They went to the back
entrance. It also was firmly secured.

Langford shielded his face with his hand and peered through the
narrow, barred windows.

"Well, I'll be darned!" he exclaimed. "And on your first morning, too!
Hard luck, Phil!"

"Why,--what is it?"

"Oh, nothing much! Only I fancy you're going to see why your new boss
is called Wildman Hanson.

"Look in there."

Phil did so.

"What did you see?"

Phil puckered his face in disgust.

"Not much wildman there," he remarked. "As far as I can see Hanson is
sound asleep on a pile of coke. There are two empty bottles