Produced by Bryan Ness, Woodie4 and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) A FOREST HEARTH [Illustration: Publishers symbol] [Illustration: "HE PRODUCED A SMALL GOLD WATCH WITH THE WORD 'RITA' ENGRAVED UPON THE CASE."] A Forest Hearth A ROMANCE OF INDIANA IN THE THIRTIES BY CHARLES MAJOR AUTHOR OF "DOROTHY VERNON OF HADDON HALL," "THE BEARS OF BLUE RIVER," "WHEN KNIGHTHOOD WAS IN FLOWER," ETC. _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY CLYDE O. DELAND_ New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., LTD. 1903 _All rights reserved_ COPYRIGHT, 1903, BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. Set up, electrotyped, and published October, 1903. Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Co. Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. ON THE HEART OF THE HEARTH 11 II. THE BACHELOR HEART 27 III. THE SYCAMORE DIVAN 45 IV. THE DEBUTANTE 61 V. UNDER THE ELM CANOPY 87 VI. THE FIGHT BY THE RIVER SIDE 107 VII. THE TRIAL 133 VIII. A CHRISTMAS HEARTH LOG 153 IX. DIC LENDS MONEY GRATIS 179 X. THE TOURNAMENT 203 XI. A KISS AND A DUEL 225 XII. THE LOVE POWDER 259 XIII. THE DIMPLER 281 XIV. WISE MISS TOUSY 303 XV. THE CHRISTMAS GIFT 329 ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE "He produced a small gold watch with the word 'Rita' engraved upon the case" _Frontispiece_ "She changed it many times" 31 "She flung at the worthy shepherd the opprobrious words, 'You fool'" 81 "'I've come to get my kiss,' said Doug" 121 "Covering her face with her hands, she began to weep" 191 "'Kill him, Dic; kill him as you would a wolf'" 255 "Miss Tousy softly kissed her and said, ... 'There, don't cry, sweet one'" 315 "'Here,' replied the girl" 349 ON THE HEART OF THE HEARTH A Forest Hearth CHAPTER I