Viola Gwyn

n heralded by the barking of dogs,-two bristling beasts that came out upon the muddy, deep-rutted road to greet them with furious inhospitality. A man stood partially revealed i

what do you want

is it to the taver

assed it without seein' it," he added drily. "If it happened to be rainin' when yo

he right road. We took the left

ept straight on. Come

wit

. From the tall stone chimney at the back of the cabin rose the blue smoke of the kitchen fire, to be whirled away on the wind that was guiding t

'-trough. Oh, yes, I forgot. Right behind the hitch-post is Jake Stone's store and a couple of ash-hoppers and a town-hall

friend. We met a man back yonder, half an hour ago,

rt of lookin

red whiskers, ri

rtise his town. He says it beats Crawfordsville and Lafayette all to

it south. I've lost

nk. They say Attica's goin' to be the biggest town on t

s morning, hoping to reach Lafayette before n

about two minutes. I guess mebby we c'n find a place fer you to sleep to-night, and we c'n give you somethin' fer man an' beast. If you'll jest ride around here to the barn, we'll put the hosses up an' feed 'em, and-

e roadside, fifty feet away, made out the figure of a woman. She touched the man's arm and he turned as he was in the a

head slowly, and

mister. The wind's makin' such a

it?" shouted the horseman. "An

from the horseman, while the woman murmured something in hi

m?" he inquired, after

in Kentucky.

to his companion. A few words passed between them, and then she drew back into the room. The woman called Eliza

toward the corner of the cabin. "Don't mind

arthly flares upon the desolate land, and the rumble of apple-carts filled the ear with promise of disaster. The chickens had gone to roost; several cows, confined in a pen surrounded by the customary stockade of poles driven deep into the earth and lashed together with the bark of the sturdy elm, were huddled in front of a rude shed; a number of squealing, grunting pigs nosed the cracks in

e, after they had dismounted, he assisted in the removal of the wel

he inquir

his face. Zachariah was a young negro,-as black as night, with gleaming white teeth which he rev

st, addressing Gwynne. "She's gone down considerable the last four-

near to sweeping Zack's mare downstream but-wel

again at the stable door and

't stop here,-an' what's more, you can't stay in this county. We settled the slavery question in this state quite a spell back, an' we

as free as I am,-or you, sir. He is my servant, not my slave. I know the laws of this state, and I intend to abide by them. I expect to make my home here in Indiana,-in Lafayette, as a matter of fact. This boy's name is Zachariah Button. Ten years ago he w

t, neither. We can't offer you much in the way of entertainment, Mr. Gwynne, but what we've got you're welcome to. I came to this country from Ohio seven years ago, an' I learned a whole lot about hospital

ou,-not in money, but in friendship. Pray do not let us discommode you or your househo

floor an' make out somehow. Now, if you'll jist step over to the well yander, you'll find a wash pan. Eliza,-I mean Mrs. Striker,-will give you a towel when you're ready. Jest sing out to her. Here, you, Zachariah, carry this plunder over an' put it in the kitchen. Mrs. Striker will show you. Be careful of them rifles of your'n. They

ind, Mr.-Did yo

ker, sir,-Phi

mply able to pay for

o do not h

goin' to bust in two shakes of a dead lamb's tail, so you'd be

in the kitchen window. The former rapped politely on the door. It was opened by Mrs. Striker, a tall, comely woman well under

I fear they are not overly clean, what with mud and rain, devil-needles and burrs. Your

own hair tousled and boyishly awry,-and there were mud splashes on his cheek and chin. He was tall and straight and his figure was shapely, despite the thick blue cape that hung from his shoulders.

ar more exacting woman than Eliza Striker would

ide-meat goes straight to my heart, and nothing in all this

ed, vastly pleased, and turn

h sent him back to open a bulging saddle-bag and remove therefrom a pair of soft, almost satiny calf-skin boots. As he hurried past Mrs. Striker, he held them up for her inspection, grinning from ear to ear. She gazed

olitary occupant, who, it so chanced, was at the moment busily and hastily employed in rearrang

served Mrs. Striker, after imparting her information

d in the second place it would not be right for me to put you to any further trouble about supper.

e purtiest hai

oes it

combed it. If I had hair like you

It's terrible,

nt to know," grumbled Eliza, and vanished, fingering

s dark blue "swallow-tail," was washing his face and han

er dry yourself in the kitchen. Hear her whizzin' through the trees? G

ust as the deluge came. Phineas Striker, leaning his w

y suddent, too. Been holdin' back fer ten minutes,-an' now

he bottom of the door and began to spread; the howling wind shook the very walls of the staunch cabin, while all about them roared the ear-spli

hat all metal "drew lightning." Her husband busied himself stemming the stream of water that seeped beneath the door with empty grain or

eves. Behind him cringed Zachariah, holding his master's boots and coat in his shaki

ed into the kitchen. Her eyes were crinkled up as if with an almost unendur

ical laugh, not born of mirth, nor of

r his shoulder. "She'll soon be over. Long as the roo

risingly modish frock she wore. He had seen no other like it since leaving the older, more advanced towns along the Ohio,-not even in the thriving settlements of Wayne and Madison Counties or in the boastful village of Crawfo

le. There was but one explanation: She was the mistress of the house, Eliza the servant. A

. The rustle of silk behind him and the quick clatter of heels, ev

e skirt very wide, set on the body in large plaits, one in front, one on each side and two behind. The sleeves also were wide from shoulder to elbow, where they were tightly fitted to the lower arm. The ruffles around the neck, which was open and rather low, and about the wrists were of plain bobinet quilling. Her slippers were black, with cr

forgetting for the moment his fear of the tempest's wrath. Only the most hair-raising cr

s, Mr. Gwynne," said Striker. "Right there in

rd him, she had her hands to her ears, and something told him that her eyes were tightly closed. A particularly loud crash

ess-gr

lender, shivering figure close. As the girl buried her f

ou'll never get over

ld cats or rattlesnakes or Injins or even spiders," he went on, addressing Gwynne, "but she's skeered to death of lightnin'. An' as fer that young lady there, she wouldn't be a

do hope them chickens an' turkeys have got sense enough to get under something in thi

You better worry about that side-meat you're fryin'. Ef my nose is what it ort to be, I'd say that piece o' mea

e the lightnin' can't git at you, an'-You'll find a comb on the mantel-piece, Mr. Gwynne, an' Phineas will git you a boot-jack out o' the bedroom if that darkey is too weak to pull your boots off for you

d the way into the sitting-room. Zachariah came last with his m

ked, ornery nigger,-only jes' gimme jes' one mo' chaince. I been a wicked,-Yassuh, Marst

iah tugged at the heavy, mud-caked riding-boots, grunting mightily over a task that gave him sufficient excuse for

e blinding, almost uninterrupted flashes of lightning. Such sentences as these fell from his lips as he turned his face from the bleaching flares before they ended in mighty crashes: "That s

is terror failed to divert, to draw on the immaculate calf-skin boots with the gorgeous tops. Then he pulled the trouser-legs down over the boots, obscuring their upper glory; after which he smoothed out the wrinkles and fastened the instep straps. Where

rked, surveying the tall, graceful figure with a rather disdainf

. "My riding-boots were filthy. I-I-Yes, I know," he broke in upon himself as Phineas extended one of his own muddy boots for inspection. "I know, b

e of the wilderness where bluejeans is as good as broadcloth or doe-skin, an' a chaw of tobacco is as good as the state seal fer bindin' a bargain. Lord bless ye, I don't keer how much you dress up. I guess I might as well tell ye the only men up at

ever hear

glanced at the closed sitting

used to be in Terry Hut, but he's been livin' at Bob Johnson's tavern for a matter of six months now, workin' up trade

t is the populat

f 'em will tell you she's over two thousand an' growin' so fast they cain't keep track of her. There's so much lyin' goin' on about Lafayette that it's impossible to tell jest how big she is. Countin' in the dogs, I guess she must have a population of between six hundred and fifty an' three thousand. You see, everybody up there's got a

ng for him, settled the shoulders with a shrug or two and a pull at the flaring lapels, smoothed his yellow brocaded waist-coat carefully, and

my toilet, Mr. Striker

wool if she ketches you leavin' 'em in here. Yes, sir, she's certainly lettin' up. Goin' down the river hell-bent. They'll be gett

ise. "You appear to know who

elsey, John Bishop, Larry Stockton, an' a lot more of the folks up in town, have been lookin' down the Crawfordsville road fer you

ctively. "Were you acquainted

ty close to the farm, an' made it about the best piece o' propetty in the whole vall

epends on how I find things. Judge Wylie wishes me to enter into partnership with him, and Providence M. Curry says there is a splendid chan

stocked farm anywheres around. Your father was one of the first to edge up this way ten er twelve year ago, an' he got the pick o' the new land. He came from some'eres down the river, 'bout Vincenn

ormed," said his gu

time, as a hand. That's how he came to sell to me. I got married an' wanted a place of my own. He said he'd sooner sell to me than let some other feller cheat the eye-teeth outen me, me bein' a good deal of fool when it comes to business an' all. Yep

kind to press me. She's purty comfortable, what with this land along the edge o' the plain out here an' a whole section up in the Gr

alled out Mrs. Stri

always ready fer," a

spring an' fall. Ste

you refrain from discussing these matters in the presence of your other guest to-night. My father, as you doubtless know, me

ly for an instant, a queer e

time your father's will was perduced there wasn't a soul in these parts as knowed such a feller as you wu

ker," said Kenneth, a trifle austerely, and

her looks like, an' goodness knows we cain't with this taller dip I got out here to cook by. 'Tain't