"And we are straight, too," burst out Randy, stung by the insinuation. "You shall have your money, if only you will give us a little time." "How are you going to get it?" "We'll earn it," said Earl. "I am sure we can get out enough timber by fall to square accounts." "That won't do for me--not at all. If you can't pay up to-morrow, you can consider your claim on the land at an end." "You won't give us any time?" "No. I can sell this whole section to Dan Roland, and I'm going to do it." "You are very hard-hearted, Mr. Norcross," began Randy, when a look from his elder brother silenced him. "I ain't hard-hearted--I'm only looking after my own," growled Caleb Norcross. "If I let things run, I'd do as the lumber company did--bust up. So you can't pay, nohow?" "No, we can't pay," answered Earl. "Then I'll expect you to quit by to-morrow noon." Without waiting for another word, Caleb Norcross turned around his bony steed and urged him forward. In less than a minute he had disappeared in the direction whence he had come. With sinking hearts the boys watched him out of sight. The blow they had dreaded had fallen, and for several seconds neither spoke. Then Randy, who had pulled off one boot, flung it across the kitchen floor. "I don't care, he can have his old place," he cried angrily. "We'll never get rich here, if we stay a hundred years. I'm sick and tired of cutting timber just for one's meals!" "It's all well enough to talk so, Randy," was the elder brother's cautious response. "But where are we to go if we leave here?" "Oh, anywhere! We might try our luck down in Bangor, or maybe Boston." Earl smiled faintly. "We'd cut pretty figures in a city, I'm thinking, after a life in the backwoods." "A backwoods boy became President." "Do you wish to try for the presidency?" "No; but it shows what can be done; and I'm tired of drudging in the woods, without any excitement or anything new from one year's end to another. Father and mother gave us pretty good educations, and we ought to make the most of that." "I knew he wanted to sell this land to Dan Roland," went on Earl, after a pause. "I fancy he is going to get a good price, too." "If Roland pays over five hundred dollars he will get cheated. The timber at the south end is good for nothing." The boys entered the cabin, lit the lamp, and sat down to discuss the situation. It was far from promising, and, an hour later, each retired to bed in a very uneasy frame of mind. They were up before daybreak, and at breakfast Earl announced his intention to go to Basco and see what could be done. "You might as well stay at home," he continued. "It may be Norcross will come back and reconsider matters." "Not he!" exclaimed Randy; nevertheless, he promised to remain and look over some clothing which needed mending, for these sturdy lads were in the habit of doing everything for themselves, even to sewing up rents and darning socks. Such are the necessities of real life in the backwoods.