Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 14079-h.htm or 14079-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/4/0/7/14079/14079-h/14079-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/4/0/7/14079/14079-h.zip) Images of the original pages are available through Kentuckiana Digital Library. See http://kdl.kyvl.org SANDY by ALICE HEGAN RICE Author of _Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch_ New York, The Century Co. 1905 [Illustration: "Looking up, he saw a slender little girl in a long tan coat and a whit tam-o'-shanter"] TO MY AUNT MISS MARY A. HEGAN WHO USED TO TELL ME BETTER STORIES THAN I SHALL EVER WRITE CONTENTS CHAPTER I THE STOWAWAY II ON SHIPBOARD III THE CURSE OF WEALTH IV SIDE-TRACKED V SANDY RETIRES FROM BUSINESS VI HOLLIS FARM VII CONVALESCENCE VIII AUNT MELVY AS A SOOTHSAYER IX TRANSITION X WATERLOO XI "THE LIGHT THAT LIES" XII ANTICIPATION XIII THE COUNTY FAIR XIV A COUNCIL OF WAR XV HELL AND HEAVEN XVI THE NELSON HOME XVII UNDER THE WILLOWS XVIII THE VICTIM XIX THE TRIALS OF AN ASSISTANT POSTMASTER XX THE IRONY OF CHANCE XXI IN THE DARK XXII AT WILLOWVALE XXIII "THE SHADOW ON THE HEART" XXIV THE PRIMROSE WAY LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS "Looking up, he saw a slender little girl in a long tan coat and a white tam-o-shanter" Frontispiece "He sent up yell after yell of victory for the land of his adoption" "He smiled away his debt of gratitude" "Then he forgot all about the steps and counting time" "Burning deeds of prowess rioted in his brain" "Sandy saw her waver" "'It's been love, Sandy, ... ever since the first'" CHAPTER I THE STOWAWAY An English mist was rolling lazily inland from the sea. It half enveloped the two great ocean liners that lay tugging at their moorings in the bay, and settled over the wharf with a grim determination to check, as far as possible, the traffic of the morning. But the activity of the wharf, while impeded, was in no wise stopped. The bustle, rattle, and shouting were, in fact, augmented by the temporary interference. Everybody seemed in a hurry, and everybody seemed out of temper, save a boy who lay at full length on the quay and earnestly studied a weather-vane that was lazily trying to make up its mind which way to point.