He climbed the rail fence and jumped down into the sodden field beyond, the tattered old army coat (left by some hired hand and used by him in wet weather) flapping dismally about his boots.
“I wonder what’ll become of me now,” he continued, still addressing himself, as he plodded across the field, sinking ankle deep in the wet soil. “Now that father’s gone there’s nothing left for me to do but to shift for myself and earn my own living. Poor father wanted me to get an education first before I went into anything, but there’ll be no more chance for that here. I can see plainly that Uncle Arad means to shut down on school altogether now.
“I’ll never get ahead any as long as I stay here and slave for him,” he pursued. “He’ll be more exacting than ever, now that father is gone—he didn’t dare treat me too meanly before. He’ll make it up now, I reckon, if I stay, and I just won’t!”
He had been steadily approaching the woods and at this juncture there was a rush of wings and a sudden “caw! caw!”
Crows are generally considered to be endowed with a faculty for knowing when a gun is brought within range, but this particular band must have been asleep, for Brandon was quite within shooting distance as the great birds labored heavily across the lots.
The rifle, the lock of which he had kept dry beneath his armpit, was at his shoulder in a twinkling, there was a sharp report, and one of the birds fell heavily to the ground, while its frightened companions wheeled with loud outcry and were quickly out of view behind the woods.
Brandon walked on and picked up the fallen bird.
“Shot his head pretty nearly off,” he muttered. “I believe I’ll go West. Knowing how to shoot might come in handy there,” and he laughed grimly.
Then, with the bird in his hand, he continued his previous course, and penetrated beneath the dripping branches of the trees.
Pushing his way through the brush for a rod or two he reached a plainly defined path which, cutting obliquely across the wood lot, connected the road on which the Tarr house stood with the “pike” which led to the city, fourteen miles away.