so。　　At　the　end　of　two　weeks　after　his　coming；　old　Tom　Bentley　made　over　to　him　the　entire　ownership　of　the　place　and　retired　into　the　background。　　Everyone　retired　into　the　back…　ground。　　In　spite　of　his　youth　and　inexperience；　Jesse　had　the　trick　of　mastering　the　souls　of　his　people。　He　was　so　in　earnest　in　everything　he　did　and　said　that　no　one　understood　him。　　He　made　everyone　on　the　farm　work　as　they　had　never　worked　before　and　yet　there　was　no　joy　in　the　work。　　If　things　went　well　they　went　well　for　Jesse　and　never　for　the　people　who　were　his　dependents。　　Like　a　thousand　other　strong　men　who　have　come　into　the　world　here　in　America　in　these　later　times；　Jesse　was　but　half　strong。　　He　could　master　others　but　he　could　not　master　himself。　　The　running　of　the　farm　as　it　had　never　been　run　before　was　easy　for　him。　　When　he　came　home　from　Cleveland　where　he　had　been　in　school；　he　shut　himself　off　from　all　of　his　people　and　began　to　make　plans。　　He　thought　about　the　farm　night　and　day　and　that　made　him　successful。　Other　men　on　the　farms　about　him　worked　too　hard　and　were　too　fired　to　think；　but　to　think　of　the　farm　and　to　be　everlastingly　making　plans　for　its　success　was　a　relief　to　Jesse。　　It　partially　satisfied　something　in　his　passionate　nature。　　Immediately　after　he　came　home　he　had　a　wing　built　on　to　the　old　house　and　in　a　large　room　facing　the　west　he　had　windows　that　looked　into　the　barnyard　and　other　windows　that　looked　off　across　the　fields。　　By　the　window　he　sat　down　to　think。　　Hour　after　hour　and　day　after　day　he　sat　and　looked　over　the　land　and　thought　out　his　new　place　in　life。　　The　passionate　burning　thing　in　his　nature　flamed　up　and　his　eyes　became　hard。　　He　wanted　to　make　the　farm　produce　as　no　farm　in　his　state　had　ever　produced　before　and　then　he　wanted　something　else。　　It　was　the　indefinable　hunger　within　that　made　his　eyes　waver　and　that　kept　him　always　more　and　more　silent　before　people。　　He　would　have　given　much　to　achieve　peace　and　in　him　was　a　fear　that　peace　was　the　thing　he　could　not　achieve。
  All　over　his　body　Jesse　Bentley　was　alive。　　In　his　small　frame　was　gathered　the　force　of　a　long　line　of　strong　men。　　He　had　always　been　extraordinarily　alive　when　he　was　a　small　boy　on　the　farm　and　later　when　he　was　a　young　man　in　school。　　In　the　school　he　had　studied　and　thought　of　God　and　the　Bible　with　his　whole　mind　and　heart。　　As　time　passed　and　he　grew　to　know　people　better；　he　began　to　think　of　himself　as　an　extraordinary　man；　one　set　apart　from　his　fellows。　　He　wanted　terribly　to　make　his　life　a　thing　of　great　importance；　and　as　he　looked　about　at　his　fellow　men　and　saw　how　like　clods　they　lived　it　seemed　to　him　that　he　could　not　bear　to　become　also　such　a　clod。　　Although　in　his　absorption　in　him…　self　and　in　his　own　destiny　he　was　blind　to　the　fact　that　his　young　wife　was　doing　a　strong　woman's　work　even　after　she　had　become　large　with　child　and　that　she　was　killing　herself　in　his　service；　he　did　not　intend　to　be　unkind　to　her。　　When　his　father；　who　was　old　and　twisted　with　toil；　made　over　to　him　the　ownership　of　the　farm　and　seemed　content　to　creep　away　to　a　corner　and　wait　for　death；　he　shrugged　his　shoulders　and　dismissed　the　old　man　from　his　mind。
  In　the　room　by　the　window　overlooking　the　land　that　had　come　down　to　him　sat　Jesse　thinking　of　his　own　affairs。　　In　the　stables　he　could　hear　the　tramp…　ing　of　his　horses　and　the　restless　movement　of　his　cattle。　　Away　in　the　fields　he　could　see　other　cattle　wandering　over　green　hills。　　The　voices　of　men；　his　men　who　worked　for　him；　came　in　to　him　through　the　window。　　From　the　milkhouse　there　was　the　steady　thump；　thump　of　a　churn　being　manipulated　by　the　half…witted　girl；　Eliza　Stoughton。　　Jesse's　mind　went　back　to　the　men　of　Old　Testament　days　who　had　also　owned　lands　and　herds。　　He　remembered　how　God　had　come　down　out　of　the　skies　and　talked　to　these　men　and　he　wanted　God　to　notice　and　to　talk　to　him　also。　　A　kind　of　feverish　boyish　eagerness　to　in　some　way　achieve　in　his　own　life　the　flavor　of　significance　that　had　hung　over　these　men　took　possession　of　him。　　Being　a　prayerful　man　he　spoke　of　the　matter　aloud　to　God　and　the　sound　of　his　own　words　strengthened　and　fed　his　eagerness。
  〃I　am　a　new　kind　of　man　come　into　possession　of　these　fields；〃　he　declared。　　〃Look　upon　me；　O　God；　and　look　Thou　also　upon　my　neighbors　and　all　the　men　who　have　gone　before　me　here！　O　God；　create　in　me　another　Jesse；　like　that　one　of　old；　to　rule　over　men　and　to　be　the　father　of　sons　who　shall　be　rul…　ers！〃　Jesse　grew　excited　as　he　talked　aloud　and　jumping　to　his　feet　walked　up　and　down　in　the　room。　　In　fancy　he　saw　himself　living　in　old　times　and　among　old　peoples。　　The　land　that　lay　stretched　out　before　him　became　of　vast　significance；　a　place　peopled　by　his　fancy　with　a　new　race　of　men　sprung　from　himself。　　It　seemed　to　him　that　in　his　day　as　in　those　other　and　older　days；　kingdoms　might　be　cre…　ated　and　new　impulses　given　to　the　lives　of　men　by　the　power　of　God　speaking　through　a　chosen　ser…　vant。　　He　longed　to　be　such　a　servant。　　〃It　is　God's　work　I　have　come　to　the　land　to　do；〃　he　declared　in　a　loud　voice　and　his　short　figure　straightened　and　he　thought　that　something　like　a　halo　of　Godly　ap…　proval　hung　over　him。
  It　will　perhaps　be　somewhat　difficult　for　the　men　and　women　of　a　later　day　to　understand　Jesse　Bent…　ley。　　In　the　last　fifty　years　a　vast　change　has　taken　place　in　the　lives　of　our　people。　　A　revolution　has　in　fact　taken　place。　　The　coming　of　industrialism；　at…　tended　by　all　the　roar　and　rattle　of　affairs；　the　shrill　cries　of　millions　of　new　voices　that　have　come　among　us　from　overseas；　the　going　and　coming　of　trains；　the　growth　of　cities；　the　building　of　the　inter…　urban　car　lines　that　weave　in　and　out　of　towns　and　past　farmhouses；　and　now　in　these　later　days　the　coming　of　the　automobiles　has　worked　a　tremen…　dous　change　in　the　lives　and　in　the　habits　of　thought　of　our　people　of　Mid…America。　　Books；　badly　imag…　ined　and　written　though　they　may　be　in　the　hurry　of　our　times；　are　in　every　household；　magazines　cir…　culate　by　the　millions　of　copies；　newspapers　are　ev…　erywhere。　　In　our　day　a　farmer　standing　by　the　stove　in　the　store　in　his　village　has　his　mind　filled　to　over…　flowing　with　the　words　of　other　men。　　The　newspa…　pers　and　the　magazines　have　pumped　him　full。　Much　of　the　old　brutal　ignorance　that　had　in　it　also　a　kind　of　beautiful　childlike　innocence　is　gone　for…　ever。　　The　farmer　by　the　stove　is　brother　to　the　men　of　the　cities；　and　if　you　listen　you　will　find　him　talking　as　glibly　and　as　senselessly　as　the　best　city　man　of　us　all。
  In　Jesse　Bentley's　time　and　in　the　country　districts　of　the　whole　Middle　West　in　the　years　after　the　Civil　War　it　was　not　so。　　Men　labored　too　hard　and　were　too　tired　to　read。　　In　them　was　no　desire　for　words　printed　upon　paper。　　As　they　worked　in　the　fields；　vague；　half…formed　thoughts　took　possession　of　them。　　They　believed　in　God　and　in　God's　power　to　control　their　lives。　　In　the　little　Protestant　churches　they　gathered　on　Sunday　to　hear　of　God　and　his　works。　　The　churches　were　the　center　of　the　social　and　intellectual　life　of　the　times。　　The　figure　of　God　was　big　in　the　hearts　of　men。
  And　so；　having　been　born　an　imaginative　child　and　having　within　him　a　great　intellectual　eagerness；　Jesse　Bentley　had　turned　wholeheartedly　toward　God。　　When　the　war　took　his　brothers　away；　he　saw　the　hand　of　God　in　that。　　When　his　father　became　ill　and　could　no　longer　attend　to　the　running　of　the　farm；　he　took　that　also　as　a　sign　from　God。　　In　the　city；　when　the　word　came　to　him；　he　walked　about　at　night　through　the　streets　thinking　of　the　matter　and　when　he　had　come　home　and　had　got　the　work　on　the　farm　well　under　way；　he　went　again　at　night　to　walk　through　the　forests　and　over　the　low　hills　and　to　think　of　God。
  As　he　walked　the　importance　of　his　own　figure　in　some　divine　plan　grew　in　his　mind。　　He　grew　avari…　cious　and　was　impatient　that　the　farm　contained　only　six　hundred　acres。　　Kneeling　in　a　fence　corner　at　the　edge　of　some　meadow；　he　sent　his　voice　abroad　into　the　silence　and　looking　up　he　saw　the　stars　shining　down　at　him。
  One　evening；　some　months　after　his　father's　death；　and　when　his　wife　Katherine　was　expecting　at　any　moment　to　be　laid　abed　of　childbirth；　Jesse　left　his　house　and　went　for　a　long　walk。　　The　Bentley　farm　was　situated　in　a　tiny　valley　watered　by　Wine　Creek；　and　Jesse　walked　along　the　banks　of　the　stream　to　the　end　of　his　own　land　and　on　through　the　fields　of　his　neighbors。　　As　he　walked　the　valley　broadened　and　then　narrowed　again。　　Great　open　stretches　of　field　and　wood　lay　before　him。　　The　moon　came　out　from　behind　clouds；　and；　climbing　a　low　hill；　he　sat　down　to　think。
  Jesse　thought　that　as　the　true　servant　of　God　the　entire　stretch　of　country　through　which　he　had　walked　should　have　come　into　his　possession。　　He　thought　of　his　dead　brothers　and　blamed　them　that　they　had　not　worked　harder　and　achieved　more。　　Be…　fore　him　in　the　moonlight　the　tiny　stream　ran　down　over　stones；　and　he　began　to　think　of　the　men　of　old　times　who　like　himself　had　owned　flocks　and　lands。
  A　fantastic　impulse；　half　fear；　half　greediness；　took　possession　of　Jesse　Bentley。　　He　remembered　how　in　the　old　Bible　story　the　Lord　h