THE GREAT ACCIDENT THE GREAT ACCIDENT BY BEN AMES WILLIAMS Author of “The Sea Bride,” “All the Brothers Were Valiant,” etc. New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1920 _All rights reserved_ COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY THE CURTIS PUBLISHING COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1920, BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY Set up and electrotyped. Published March, 1920. TO MOTHER CONTENTS BOOK I THE GREAT ACCIDENT CHAPTER PAGE I HARDISTON 3 II AMOS CARETALL 7 III WINT CHASE 16 IV JACK ROUTT 22 V COUNCIL OF WAR 27 VI WINTHROP CHASE, SENIOR 36 VII V. R. KITE 45 VIII THE RALLY 50 IX HETTY MORFEE 56 X THE ELECTION 60 XI THE NOTIFICATION 69 BOOK II I MULDOON 81 II JOAN 90 III THE STRATEGY OF AMOS 100 IV INTERLUDE 112 V ALLIANCE 119 VI THE WHISTLE BLOWS 127 BOOK III INTO HARNESS I ON HIS OWN FEET 135 II JOAN TO WINT 146 III ROUTT TO KITE 154 IV WINT TO JOAN 164 V WINT GOES HOME 170 VI A WORD AS TO HETTY 176 VII ORDERS FOR RADABAUGH 186 BOOK IV LINE OF BATTLE I MARSHAL JIM RADABAUGH 197 II THE BREWING STORM 207 III A HARD DAY FOR KITE 213