“No, Jack,” said Chad, and he rode on, with his eyes blurred.  On the top of the steep mountain he dismounted, to let his horse rest a moment, and sat on a log, looking toward the sun.  He could not go back to Margaret and happiness—­not now.  It seemed hardly fair to the dead girl down in the valley.  He would send Margaret word, and she would understand.

Once again he was starting his life over afresh, with his old capital, a strong body and a stout heart.  In his breast still burned the spirit that had led his race to the land, had wrenched it from savage and from king, had made it the high temple of Liberty for the worship of freemen—­the Kingdom Come for the oppressed of the earth—­and, himself the unconscious Shepherd of that Spirit, he was going to help carry its ideals across a continent Westward to another sea and on—­who knows—­to the gates of the rising sun.  An eagle swept over his head, as he rose, and the soft patter of feet sounded behind him.  It was Jack trotting after him.  He stooped and took the old dog in his arms.

“Go back home, Jack!” he said.

Without a whimper, old Jack slowly wheeled, but he stopped and turned again and sat on his haunches—­looking back.

“Go home, Jack!” Again the old dog trotted down the path and once more he turned.

“Home, Jack!” said Chad.

The eagle was a dim, black speck in the band of yellow that lay over the rim of the sinking sun, and after its flight, horse and rider took the westward way.

*** End of the project gutenberg EBOOK, the little Shepherd of kingdom come ***

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