The boy in due time escaped from the school, and was educated by the man Dryden and Nick Cambert." "And what will become of him now ?" asked the Dean.
Patches smiled.

"Why, the lad is twenty-one now, and we have agreed that it is about time that he began to make a man of himself--I can help him a little, perhaps--I have been trying occasionally the past year.

But you see the conditions have not been altogether favorable to the experiment.

It should be easy from now on." During the time that intervened before the trial of the Tailholt Mountain man, Phil and Patches re-established that intimate friendship of those first months of their work together.

Then came the evening when Phil went across the meadow to ask Jim Reid for his daughter.
The big cattleman looked at his young neighbor with frowning disapproval.
"It won't do, Phil," he said at last.