s
turned sharply into a narrow road, over which the trees formed a perfect
archway, that led to just such a farm-house as suggests by outside
appearance all the good things and comforts of life.

"This is to be home to you for a while," said George, breaking off
abruptly in his dissertation on the price and quality of oil, in which
Ralph was not very much interested, "and I can safely guarantee it to be
a place which you will be sorry to leave after once knowing it."

"It certainly does not seem to be a place around which anything exciting
can be found," thought Ralph; but, since it was only rest from study he
was in search of, he was content with that which he saw.

CHAPTER II.

A NEW ACQUAINTANCE.

Ralph Gurney was one who thoroughly enjoyed everything in which pleasure
could be found, and even while George was caring for his horses, of
which he was very fond, Ralph had already begun a survey of the farm on
which he was to spend his vacation.

The cattle, poultry, horses, dogs, and even the cat, had received some
attention from him, and he was on his way to the sheep-pasture near by
to make the acquaintance of the woolly members of the flock, when the
sharp ping of a bullet was heard as it whistled by his head, while, a
second later, the report of a rifle rang out sharply.

There was something so entirely unexpected and so thoroughly startling
in this mode of salutation in so peaceful a place, that Ralph leaped two
or three feet in his fright, and at the same time saw the hole in the
brim of his hat, which showed how near the deadly missile had come to
him.

Almost any one would be alarmed at such a visitor, even though he might
have been expecting this attention, and Ralph came very near trembling
with fear as he realized how narrow had been his escape from death.

He looked quickly around to see who was using him as a target; but no
one was in sight. The sheep had been quite as much startled by the
report as he had by the proximity of the bullet; therefore, there was no
reason to suspect that they had had anything to do with this decided
frightening of the new boarder.

Ralph was on the point of calling out to George for an explanation of
this apparently reckless shooting, when a voice from amid a small clump
of trees shouted:

"Hold out your hat and I will put a bullet through the center of it."

Even if Ralph had not been angry because of the danger he had been
forced to run, he would not ha