[EPOCH THE FIRST]
CHAPTER PAGE
I[Agnes]13
II[The Homesteader]21
III[At the Sod House]28
IV[She Could Never Be Anything to Him]37
V[When the Indians Shot the Town Up]43
VI[The Infidel, A Jew and A German]49
VII[The Day Before]56
VIII[An Enterprising Young Man]61
IX["Christine! Christine!"]75
X["You Have Never Been This Way Before"]80
XI[What Jean Baptiste Found in the Well]85
XII[Miss Stewart Receives a Caller]89
XIII[The Coming of the Railroad]97
XIV[The Administrating Angel]107
XV[Oh, My Jean]115
XVI["Bill" Prescott Proposes]123
XVII[Harvest Time and What Came with It]131
[EPOCH THE SECOND]
I[Regarding the Intermarriage of Races]143
II[Which?]153
III[Memories—N. Justine McCarthy]159
IV[Orlean]174
V[A Proposal: A Proposition; A Certain Mrs. Pruitt—And a Letter]186
VI[The Prairie Fire]190
VII[Vanity]196
VIII[Married]207
IX[Orlean Receives a Letter and Advice]212
X[Eugene Crook]221
XI[Reverend McCarthy Pays a Visit]227
XII[Reverend McCarthy Decides to Set Baptiste Right, But—]234
XIII[The Wolf]240
XIV[The Contest]247
XV[Compromised]252
XVI[The Evil Genius]259
XVII[The Coward]267
[EPOCH THE THIRD]
I[Chicago—The Boomerang] 279
II[The Great Question]284
III[Glavis Makes A Promise] 294
IV[The Gambler's Story] 299
V[The Preacher's Evil Influence]305
VI[More of the Preacher's Work]311
VII[A Great Astronomer]317
VIII[N. Justine McCarthy Preaches a Sermon]325
IX[What the People Were Saying]332
X["Until Then"]339
XI["It's the Wrong Number"]346
XII[Mrs. Pruitt Effects a Plan]354
XIII[Mrs. Merley]363
XIV["Oh, Merciful God! Close Thou Mine Eyes!"]369
XV["Love You—God, I Hate You!"]376
XVI[A Strange Dream]385
[EPOCH THE FOURTH]
I[The Drought]395
II[The Foreclosure]400
III[Irene Grey]407
IV[What Might Have Been]414
V["Tell Me Why You Didn't Answer the Last LetterI Wrote You"]421
VI[The Story]427
VII[Her Birthright "for a Mess of Pottage"] 436
VIII[Action]440
IX[Gossip]446
X[A Discovery—and a Surprise]456
XI[The Bishop's Inquisition]464
XII[The Bishop Acts]479
XIII[Where the Weak Must Be Strong]482
XIV[The Trial—the Lie—"As Guilty As Hell!"]488
XV[Grim Justice]495
XVI[A Friend]502
XVII[The Mystery]508
XVIII["Vengeance is Mine. I Will Repay"]515
XIX[When the Truth Became Known]523
XX[As it Was in the Beginning]529

ILLUSTRATIONS

"Something happened and I was strangely glad and came here because I—I just had to see you, Jean"[Frontispiece]
FACING
PAGE
He was young, The Homesteader—just passed twenty-two—and vigorous, strong, healthy and courageous[22]
He raised on an elbow and looked into her face while she staggered forward in great surprise[35]
"But, Jean, the cases are not parallel. What I did for you I would have done for anybody. It was merely an act of providence; but yours—oh, Jean, can't you understand!"[138]
"Miss Pitt was so anxious to meet you and I was, too, because I think you and her would like each other. She's an awfully good girl and willing to help a fellow"[159]
"He's going to kill you out here to make him rich, and then when you are dead and—" "Please don't, father!" she almost screamed. She knew he was going to say: "in your grave, he will marry another woman to enjoy what you have died for," but she could not quite listen to that[245]
He tried to throw off the uncanny feeling, but it seemed to hang on like grim death. And as he stood enmeshed in its sinister thraldom, he thought he saw her rise and point an accusing finger at him[518]

LEADING CHARACTERS

Agnes, Whose Eyes Were Baffling

Jean Baptiste, The Homesteader

Jack Stewart, Agnes' Father

Augustus M. Barr, an Infidel