Otherwise Phyllis

ion spurned the soil and became urbanized, the residence was transformed from its primal state into a country home, and the family called it "Listening Hill Farm." Its austere pa

r lived there, though the farm had fallen to him in the distribution of his father's estate; but he had farmed it at long range, first from Montgomery, and latterly, and with decre

ntation which his father and Uncle William had controlled, he had learned nothing that was likely to prove of the slightest value in his attempt to wrest a

of politicians he had persuaded to invest in the Mexican mine by selling out to a German syndicate just before he died; and Samuel had always made a point of taking care of his friends. He had carried through several noteworth

club, and he had organized the first guitar and banjo club. The pleasant glow he left behind him still hung over the campus when Fred entered four years later. Charles's meteoric social career had dimmed the fact (save to a few sober professors) that he had got through by the skin of his teeth. Fred's plodding ways, relieved only by his prowess at football, had left a very different impression. Fred worked hard at his studies because he had to; and even wi

y the plantation and mining companies. This had been deposited as a matter of convenience in an Indianapolis bank and he allowed it to remain there. He realized that this money must carry him

ow whose ambition was to get hold of a farm of his own as quickly as possible. He worked Amzi's farm on shares, with certain privileges in the matter of feeding cattle. Amzi picked him up by chance and with misgivings; but Perry had earned the biggest dividends the land had ever paid. Perry confided to Fred a hope he had entertained of leasing the Holton f

n the field to gather data for statistics, passed through the country, and spent a week with Fred for the unflattering reason that the Holton acres afforded material for needed information as to exhausted soils. He recommended books for Fred to read, and what was more to the point sent a young man

lds and repaired the fences wherever necessary. His most careful scrutiny failed to disclose anything on which money could be realized at once beyond half a dozen cords of wood which he sent to town and sold and the apples he had offered for sale in the streets of Montgomery. These by-products hardly paid for the time required to m

ught to do something for Fred, as it was understood that he was backing Charles in his enterprises. Still other gossips, pointing to the fa

rawled on an old settle reading when a motor arrived noisily in the dooryard. Charles was driving and with him were

e at right angles in Montgomery, and run down into the coal fields. We're going to haul coal by electricity-a new idea in these parts-and it's going to be a big fact

ake that twenty right now,"

for it," replie

oads were all in league against the poor but honest farmer; he was crippled as much as he was helped by the railroads; but with the trolley the farmer

possibilities of the trolley line had not yet been realized. Social and economic conditions were to be revolutionized, and the world generally would be a very

ndoors, and said they would walk to the h

were alone, Charle

w it. I'm glad you've painted the barn red; there's nothing like red f

in the world to his taste. Fred grinned

farmers hitched a side-bar buggy to a col

colt or the side-bar, and I don't know any girls. What abo

g to make some money out of it, too. There's money in these things if

the Sycamore line isn't do

control it to reorganize and squeeze the bondholders. If father had lived h

illiam, while less voluble, was even more persuasive and convincing. Charles did not always ring true, but any deficiencies in this respect were compensated for by his agree

r and get back coal right at their door, but they shall participate in the profits they help to create. Now listen to this; there's not much you can do this winter out here and I stopped to make you an offer to solicit stock subscriptions among the country people. A lot of these farmers are rich fellows,-the farmers are getting altogether too much money for their own good,-and here's an ideal investment for them, a ch

miled

can haul to town in a wagon and get money for. I haven't your business genius. It would seem queer to me to go about asking people to take their money out of the bank to give me in exchange for pieces of paper that might not be

ttle short of a miracle that a trolley coal road hasn't been built already. And think, too, of the prestige our family will get out of it. We've always been the only people in Montgomery that had any 'git up and git.' You don't want to forget that your name Holton is an

y near dying buste

y time I think of it-that he took care of his friends. He saw things big, and those Mexican sc

ing slowly towards

me as dangerous. I know all about that plantation and the mine, too, for that matter. I don't

And you got paid for it. You must have saved som

automobile," rema

myself, but I've got to make

e highway to attract his attention. H

skip. You'd better think over my proposition before turning it down for good. I don't like to think of your being

rn rube, I guess; I like it out here. And I

nked his machin

ng for you, I want you to call on me. And if you need money at any time, I want you to come to me

ke and Charles picked up his friends, Fred watched its slow ascent