winning renown in those battles which helped to establish the security of the United States. Jacquelin grew up to be just what most other boys of his station, stature, and blood, living on a plan5 tation under similar conditions, would have been. He was a hale, hearty boy, who adored his cousin, Steve Allen, because Steve was older and stronger than he; despised Blair Cary because she was a girl; and envied every cart driver and stable boy on the 10 place. He used to drive with string "lines" two or four or six of his black boon companions, giving them the names of his father's horses in the stable; or sometimes, even the names of those steeds of which his Aunt Thomasia, a famous story-teller, 15 told him in the hour before the candles were lighted.

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But if he drove the black boys in harness, it was because they let him do it, and not because he was their master. If he possessed any privileges or power, he did not know it.

As to learning, Jacquelin was not very apt. It was only when Blair Cary came over one winter and went to school to Miss Thomasia - and he was laughed at by every one, particularly by Steve, because Blair, a girl several years younger than he, 25 could read Latin better-that Jacquelin really tried to study. Though no one knew it, many of the

things that Jacquelin did were done in the hope that Steve might think well of him; and whether it were riding wild colts with the certainty of being thrown and possibly hurt, diving into deep pools with the prospect of being drowned, or doing any- 5 thing else that he was afraid to do, it was almost sure that it was done because of Steve.

Steve Allen had come to Red Rock before Jacquelin could remember, the year after Steve's father was killed in Mexico, leading his company 10 up the heights of Cerro Gordo, and his mother died of fever far down South. Mr. Gray had brought the boy home on his mother's death; so Steve was part of Red Rock. Everybody spoiled him, particularly Miss Thomasia, who made him her especial 15 charge and was notoriously partial to him. Old Peggy, Steve's "Mammy," as she was called, who had come from the far South with him, and who with her sharp eyes and sharper tongue was ready to fight the world for him, fairly idolized him.

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Steve was a tall, brown-haired young fellow as straight as a sapling, and with broad shoulders, gray eyes that could smile or flash, teeth as white as snow, and a chin that Dr. Cary used to say he must have got from his mother. He was as supple 25 He could turn back somersaults like a

as an eel.

circus man, and as he was without fear so he was without reverence. He would tease Miss Thomasia and play practical jokes on Mr. Gray and Dr. Cary. To show his contempt for the "Indian Killer, he 5 went alone and spent the night on the bloody rock, and when the other boys crept in a body to see if he were really there, he was found by the little party of scared searchers to be tranquilly asleep on the "Indian Killer's" very grave.

10 At length Steve went off to school to Dr. Maule,

at "The Academy," as it was called. Jacquelin missed him sorely and tried to imitate him in many things; but he knew it was a poor imitation, for often he could not help being afraid, whilst Steve 15 did not know what fear was. Jacquelin's knees would shake and his teeth sometimes chatter, whilst Steve performed his most dangerous feats with mantling cheeks and dancing eyes. However, the boy kept on, and began to do things simply because 20 he was afraid. One day he read how a great general,

named Marshal Turenne, on being laughed at because his knees were shaking as he mounted his horse to go into battle, replied that if his knees knew where he was going to take them that day 25 they would shake still more. This incident helped Jacquelin mightily, and he took his knees into many

dangerous places. In time this had its effect, and as his knees began to shake less he began to grow more self-confident and conceited. He began to be ver, proud of himself, and to take opportunities to show his superiority over others, which developed 5 with some rapidity the character existent somewhere in most persons, the prig.

Blair Cary gave the first, if not the final, shock to this development.

She was the daughter of Dr. Cary, Mr. Gray's 10 cousin, who lived a few miles off across the river, at Birdwood, perhaps the next most considerable place to Red Rock in that section. She was a slim little girl with a rather pale face, large brown eyes, and hair that was always blowing into them.

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She would have given her eyes, no doubt, to have been accepted as companion by Jacquelin, who was several years her senior; but as that young man was now aspiring to be comrade to Steve and to Blair's brother, Morris, he relegated Blair to the 20 companionship of his small brother, Rupert, who was as much younger than Blair as she was younger than himself, and treated her himself with sovereign disdain. The first shock he received was when he found how much better Blair could read Latin than 25 he could, and how much Steve thought of her on

that account. After that Jacquelin condescended to play with her occasionally, and sometimes even to let her follow him about the plantation to admire his feats, whilst he tried to revenge himself on her 5 for her superior learning by showing her how much more a boy could do than a girl. It was all in vain. For, with this taunt for a spur, she would follow him even to the tops of trees or the bottoms of ponds; so he determined to show his superiority 10 by one final and supreme act. This was to climb

to the roof of the "high barn," as it was called, and spring off into the top of a tree which spread its branches below. He had seen Steve do it, but had never ventured to try it himself. He had often 15 climbed to the roof, and had fancied himself performing this feat to escape from pursuing Indians, but had never really contemplated doing it in fact, until Blair's persistent emulation, daunted by nothing that he attempted, spurred him to undertake 20 it. So one day, after some boasting, he climbed to the peak of the roof. His heart beat so as he gazed down into the green mass far below him and saw the patches of brown earth through the leaves, that he wished he had not been so boastful; but there 25 was Blair behind him, astride of the roof, her eyes

fastened on him with a somewhat defiant gaze.