and plant a hundred and sixty acres of wheat for him, and whether he
would take Sam's horse--a fine animal, brought from the States, and for
which Sam could show a bill of sale--as security for the amount until he
could harvest and sell his crop. Merrick so well understood the Pike
nature, that he made a very liberal offer, and afterward said he would
have paid handsomely for the chance.

A few days later, and the remaining Pikes at the Bend experienced the
greatest scare that had ever visited their souls. A brisk man came into
the Bend with a tripod on his shoulder, and a wire chain, and some wire
pins, and a queer machine under his arm, and before dark the Pikes
understood that Sam had deliberately constituted himself a renegade by
entering a quarter section of land. Next morning two more residences
were empty, and the remaining fathers of the hamlet adorned not Sam's
log, but wandered about with faces vacant of all expression save the
agony of the patriot who sees his home invaded by corrupting influences
too powerful for him to resist.

Then Merrick sent up a gang-plow and eight horses, and the tender green
of Sam's quarter section was rapidly changed to a dull-brown color,
which is odious unto the eye of the Pike. Day by day the brown spot grew
larger, and one morning Sam arose to find all his neighbors departed,
having wreaked their vengeance upon him by taking away his dogs. And in
his delight at their disappearance, Sam freely forgave them all.

Regularly the children were carried to and from school, and even to
Sunday-school--regularly every evening Sam visited the grave on the
hillside, and came back to lie by the hour looking at the sleeping
darlings--little by little farmers began to realize that their property
was undisturbed--little by little Sam's wheat grew and waxed golden; and