Produced by David Edwards, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) THE YOUNG SURVEYOR; OR, JACK ON THE PRAIRIES. BY J. T. TROWBRIDGE AUTHOR OF "JACK HAZARD AND HIS FORTUNES," ETC. _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS._ BOSTON: JAMES R. OSGOOD AND COMPANY, LATE TICKNOR & FIELDS, AND FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO. 1875. Copyright, 1875. BY JAMES R. OSGOOD & CO. UNIVERSITY PRESS: WELCH, BIGELOW, & CO., CAMBRIDGE. [Illustration: HOW THE BOYS WENT TO THE RIVER FOR WATER.] CONTENTS. I. "NOTHING BUT A BOY" II. OLD WIGGETT'S SECTION CORNER III. THE HOMEWARD TRACK IV. A DEER HUNT, AND HOW IT ENDED V. THE BOY WITH ONE SUSPENDER VI. "LORD BETTERSON'S" VII. JACK AT THE "CASTLE" VIII. HOW VINNIE MADE A JOURNEY IX. VINNIE'S ADVENTURE X. JACK AND VINNIE IN CHICAGO XI. JACK'S NEW HOME XII. VINNIE'S FUTURE HOME XIII. WHY JACK DID NOT FIRE AT THE PRAIRIE CHICKEN XIV. SNOWFOOT'S NEW OWNER XV. GOING FOR A WITNESS XVI. PEAKSLOW GETS A QUIRK IN HIS HEAD XVII. VINNIE MAKES A BEGINNING XVIII. VINNIE'S NEW BROOM XIX. LINK'S WOOD-PILE XX. MORE WATER THAN THEY WANTED XXI. PEAKSLOW SHOWS HIS HAND XXII. THE WOODLAND SPRING XXIII. JACK'S "BIT OF ENGINEERING" XXIV. PREPARING FOR THE ATTACK XXV. THE BATTLE OF THE BOUNDARY FENCE XXVI. VICTORY XXVII. VINNIE IN THE LION'S DEN XXVIII. AN "EXTRAORDINARY" GIRL XXIX. ANOTHER HUNT, AND HOW IT ENDED XXX. JACK'S PRISONER XXXI. RADCLIFF XXXII. AN IMPORTANT EVENT XXXIII. MRS. WIGGETT'S "NOON-MARK" XXXIV. THE STRANGE CLOUD XXXV. PEAKSLOW IN A TIGHT PLACE.--CECIE XXXVI. "ON THE WAR TRAIL" XXXVII. THE MYSTERY OF A PAIR OF BREECHES XXXVIII. THE MORNING AFTER XXXIX. FOLLOWING UP THE MYSTERY XL. PEAKSLOW'S HOUSE-RAISING XLI. CONCLUSION LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. SETTING THE STAKES JACK AND THE STRANGE YOUTH UP-HILL WORK "LORD BETTERSON" TOO OBLIGING BY HALF LINK DOESN'T CARE TO BE KISSED SHOT ON THE WING THE AMIABLE MR. PEAKSLOW VINNIE'S STRATAGEM LINK'S WOOD-PILE HOW THE BOYS WENT TO THE RIVER FOR WATER TESTING THE LEVEL OLD WIGGETT "STOP, OR I'LL SHOOT!" RETURNING IN TRIUMPH THE END OF THE CHASE JACK AND HIS JOLLY PRISONER THE TORNADO COMING PEAKSLOW REAPPEARS FOLLOWING THE WAR TRAIL UNDER DIFFICULTIES THE WATER QUESTION SETTLED THE YOUNG SURVEYOR. CHAPTER I. "NOTHING BUT A BOY." [Illustration] A young fellow in a light buggy, with a big black dog sitting composedly beside him, enjoying the ride, drove up, one summer afternoon, to the door of a log-house, in one of the early settlements of Northern Illinois.