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an action in chancery to clear up this title, and you'll not get a cent out of it! You are simply throwing away five hundred dollars!"

Abner moved wordlessly toward the door with a certain apprehension of an attack by Mr. Northcutt. The banker did take three steps after the boy and catch him by the arm.

"Abner, you idiot, listen to reason!"

The hulking youth flung himself loose with a feeling of being trapped. "Turn me go, Perry Northcutt, or I'll knock hell out of ye!" He had a fist swung back and his frightened eyes were blazing at the banker.

The cashier stepped back. "What a dolt! What a dolt!" he ejaculated furiously as he watched Abner pass into the lobby and disappear through the door. The banker was profoundly exasperated at this outcome. His rancour vibrated through his whole body. What had just occurred seemed to Mr. Northcutt impious, actually sacrilegious. It was absolutely sinful for an ordinary stupid drunken hill boy to thwart his designs in this fashion. Because Perry knew that he, himself, was going to serve God's purposes in every way he could whereas this youth would wickedly misuse anything of value that fell into his hands. Behind this he felt the villager's contempt for the hill folk, and for such a lout to frustrate his plans . . .

The cashier turned back to his window and by sheer will power restored the smile to his face and resumed the receiving of deposits from unwilling depositors. As he banked these deposits he felt vindictively righteous, and the parable of the good steward who put his money out at usury returned to his mind.

Presently Mr. Ditmas arose, excused himself, and walked out of the bank. Mr. Sharp watched the engineer go out and presently caught Mr. Northcutt's eye.

"I think our friend Ditmas played rather an odd little game just then," he observed, drawing a cigar from his pocket.

"How's that?" asked the cashier.