The Press., 1891-12-17
CHAPTER II. CONCERNING REBEcoA's EARLY LIFE AND GREAT AMBITION

s But the H4tcles Gt ttJSt c07tvtqgced them it
 aCGs for thear dGstghter's good.
 Perhaps no American girl ever lived who had such 8 strange history and destiny as Rebecca Buggs. She had lbeen snatched from obscurity and a life of drudgery, raised to condition where she had learned to yearn for luxuries, society, and comps ionship of the edu- cated, and at one fell blow was sent tumb bling back to the plane from which she started. Better a hundred fold had she never been taken from her lowly station, I hear you say.
 Her father, Jacob Buggs, had been unfortunate all his life. He was fond of complaining that the world was agin him and that he never had no luck nohow." 7
 In spite of the fact that he worked hard and strove nightly, prosperity would not smile upon him. If the aver age yield of wheat in his county was twenty-five bushels to the acre, he could count up but twelve or fifteen. The fly, the rust or the army worm was >sure to favor his fields above all in the neigh borhood. When hog cholera afflicted the farmers along Devil Creek bottom it usually began with Buggs' swine and cleaned out the whole herd. He had been burned out as often as all the other farmers in the township combined. Three years before a cyclone, which went whooping through that part of the state, jumped over six farms lying just west, but swooped down upon Buggs' barn and scattered it like chaff. Then it bounded up into the sky and didn't come down to business again until it struck the next township.
 His brother John probably monopo. hzed tho family fortunes. At least Jacob always thought so until quite recently when he was. forced to make up his mind that i'll inckswas the heritage of the en- tire Buggs family.
 John was seven years the junior oi Jacob. At the age of fourteen he ran away from tic farm and lost himself in the great city In the course of time the boy was looked upon as dead and buried, He had been gone 90 long without g word of news coming back from him that to these retired country people it appeared natural sthat John had beer murderedsbefore he fairly penetrated to tho wicked center of the death dealing metropolis.
 So Jacob inherited the old Pennsyl- E vahia farm when his father died. Then he married Jane Baxter. The fruit oi this union was Rebecca.
 Even in the blessings of children Jacot was denied his natural share. He yearned for a son 4nnd his first born was girl girl His hope that he mightrear few hardy heirs to share his labors on the farm a. his years came upon him was never re affixed. This one girl seemed to be about the usual measure of his success in life.
 And sheswHs taken from him. Worse still. his brother John had not been mur. dered, but turned up one day when Re becca was about eight years old; came to claim his half of the farm, not including the one thousand dollar mortgage which he (Jacob) had placed to get money with which to build 8 new barn instead of the one that had been struck by lightning and consumed the year before.
 Yet John was rich; had enough money of his own to buy twenty such farms. Why should he be 80 greedy
 And Whfs the two were preparing to share their patrimony, Uncle John was becoming extremely fond of pretty, awkward Rebecca.
 Then there was compromise offered by the rich brother from the city. Il Rebecca's parents would give her to him for adoption he would not only quit