When another day had passed and no letter came to Frederic Vernon, the young man began to grow desperate.

"I\'ve got to raise money somehow," he said to himself.

But the question was a difficult one to settle, since he had already used his friends as much as he dared.

He was a late riser, and it was after ten o\'clock when he was preparing to go out to a nearby restaurant for breakfast, when there came a hasty knock on his door.

He was expecting Remington, and unlocked the door without a second thought--to find himself confronted by Richard Anderson. The face of the capitalist was stern, and in one hand he carried the horsewhip he had recently purchased.

"Well, Vernon, I reckon you did not expect to see me," said the president of the lumber company coldly.

"Why--er--no, I did not," stammered the young man.

"I want to have a little talk with you, young man."

"Yes, sir," answered Vernon, with a shiver. "What--er--what about?"

"I want to know why you have been circulating a report calculated to hurt our lumber company."

"Me?" cried Vernon, pretending to be astonished.

"Yes, you."

"I have circulated no report."

"It is useless for you to deny it, young man. I have it upon the best authority that the report came from you."

"What report?"

"That our company was in a bad way financially and liable to go to pieces at any time."

As Richard Anderson finished he closed and locked the door and placed the key in his pocket.

"Hi! what are you doing that for?" gasped Frederic Vernon in alarm.

"So that nobody can interrupt me while I am teaching you a lesson."

"I--I don\'t understand."

"You will understand when I begin to use this horsewhip."

Vernon grew white and trembled so that he could scarcely stand up.

"You won\'t dare to--to hit me," he faltered.

"Won\'t I? You just wait and see. Do you know that I could have you arrested for what you have done?"

"I deny doing anything."

"And I can prove what you have done. If it wasn\'t for that kind-hearted aunt of yours I would let you go to prison."

"Did Mrs. Vernon tell you what I--I mean did she accuse me?" ejaculated the young man, so astonished that he partly forgot himself.

"No, she hasn\'t told me anything that you may have written to her. My information came from an outside party who happened to be my friend. But your slip just now proves what my friend told me. You are a rascal, Vernon, but instead of having you locked up, I am, for your aunt\'s sake, going to take it out of your hide."

As Richard Anderson concluded he threw back his arm, and down came the lash of the horsewhip across Vernon\'s shoulder.

"Ouow!" yelled the young man. "Oh, murder! Stop! stop! I\'ll be cut to pieces!"

Swish! swish! swish! down came the horsewhip again and again, over Vernon\'s shoulders, his back, around his legs, and one cut took him around the neck and face. The lumber dealer was thoroughly in earnest, and though the young man tried to fight him off it was useless.

"I will have you arrested for this!" shrieked Vernon, as he danced around with pain. "Oh, my neck! Oh, my legs! Stop! stop!"

"I hope this proves a lesson you never forget," returned Richard Anderson, with a final cut over Vernon\'s quivering back. "And now take my advice, and don\'t go to law over it, for if you do I shall expose you and make you pay the full penalty of your evil doings."

"I\'ll--I\'ll kill you when I get the chance!" roared Vernon, in a wild rage.

"No, you won\'t touch me. You just beh............