VI. DAMON BARKER 48 VII. A NEW DISPENSATION 57 VIII. THE SMOKY HILL SECRET 69 IX. THE CHARITY OF SILENCE 87 X. JO ERRING MAKES A FULL CONFESSION 99 XI. WITH REFERENCE TO A MAN WHO WAS SENT WEST TO GROW UP WITH THE COUNTRY OR GET KILLED 112 XII. LOVE’S YOUNG LESSON 123 XIII. THE FLOCK OF THE GOODE SHEPHERD 134 XIV. I AM SURPRISED 148 XV. THE COUNTRY TOWN 154 XVI. MORE OF THE VILLAGE OF TWIN MOUNDS 165 XVII. THE FELLOW 177 XVIII. THE MILL AT ERRING’S FORD 185 XIX. THE FALL OF REV. JOHN WESTLOCK 202 XX. TWO HEARTS THAT BEAT AS ONE 212 XXI. THE PECULIARITIES OF A COUNTRY TOWN 228 XXII. A SKELETON IN THE HOUSE AT ERRING’S FORD 244 XXIII. THE SHADOW IN THE SMOKY HILLS 264 XXIV. A LETTER FROM JO 279 XXV. THE SEA GIVES UP ITS DEAD 285 XXVI. BARKER’S STORY 296 XXVII. THE LIGHT GOES OUT FOREVER 309 XXVIII. TOO LATE 326 XXIX. THE SKELETON AGAIN 337 XXX. A LETTER FROM MR. BIGGS 350 XXXI. KILLED AT THE FORD 355 XXXII. THE TWIN MOUNDS JAIL 368 XXXIII. REAPING THE WHIRLWIND 382 XXXIV. THE GRAVE BY THE PATH 392 XXXV. THE HISTORY OF A MISTAKE 398 XXXVI. CONCLUSION 410 THE STORY OF A COUNTRY TOWN. CHAPTER I. FAIRVIEW. Ours was the prairie district out West, where we had gone to grow up with the country.