Viola Gwyn

d on the sweep of the inconstant wind, which had shifted within the hour. A light shone dimly through the square little window of the bedroom. Kenneth's imagination penetrated to sacre

ds, an' further on there's more timber. The town's down in a sort of valley, shaped somethin' like a saucer, with hills on all sides an' the river cuttin' straight through the middle. Considerable buildin' goin' on this spring. There's talk of the Baptists an' the Methodists put

y little," s

icine, an' by the time summer comes you'll be able to stand more'n you ever thought you could stand. What worries me is how the women manage to git along without it. You see big strong men goin' around

have them other

hey've got the aguer. They won't even take it when a rattlesnake bites 'em. Sooner die. An' in spite of all that, they bring he-children into the world that can't git over a skeeter bite unless they drink a pint or two of whisky. Well, I guess we better go to roost, Mr. Gwynne. Must be nine o'clock. Everything's all right out at the barn an'

e-thi

e Wea plains an' stole sixteen yearlin' colts, drove 'em down to the river, loaded '

and through the trap-door into the stuffy attic. He carried his rough ridi

here in the mornin' an' rouse you up. There's your straw-tick over yander, an' I'll fotch your blankets up in a

t be choosers. A place to lay my head, a roof to keep the ra

ittle window. He did not sniff with scorn at his humble surroundings. He had travelled long and far and he had slept in worse places than thi

t all about my snorin'. Like as not if I left this door open the whole danged roof would be lifted right off'm

ad shoulders of the settler disappeared. The young man heard the scrap

began to unstrap his roll of blankets. He had decided to remove only his coat and waistcoat. The sharp, staccato barking of a fox up in the woods fell upon his ears. He paused to listen. Then came the faraway, unmistakable howl of a wolf, the solemn, familiar hoot of

intruder, man or beast. Shaking off the sleep that held him, he crept to the window and looked out. The moon was gone and the stars had almost faded from the inky black dome. He guessed the hour with th

ng trunk or a clump of brush. As he watched the bobbing light, he heard some one stirring in the room below. Then the cabin door creaked on its rusty hinges and almost immediately a jumble of subdued hoarse voice

ture of the visit. He crept over to the trap-door and cautiously attempted to lift it an inch or so, the better to hear what was going on, but try as he would he could not budge the covering. The murmur of voices went on for a few minu

nd of whispers, the stealthy shuffling of feet, the quiet

akable rattle of wagon wheels on their axles, the straining of harness, the rasp of tug chains,-quite near at hand. The clack-clack of the hubs gradually diminished as the heavy vehicle m

at that black hour of the night, while perhaps unusual, was readily to be accounted for in more ways than one, none of them possessing a sinister significance. A neighbouring farmer making an early start for town stopping to carry out some friendly commission for Phineas Strik

f kindling-wood ablaze. A door opened and a gruff voice spoke. The settler was routing Zachariah out of his slumbers. Far off in some unknown, remote land a rooster crowed,-the day's champion, the first of all to greet the rising sun. Almost instantly, a cock in Striker'

wished to sleep. A belated but beatific drowsiness seized him. He was on

nd found himself staring at a shaggy, unkempt head sticking up out of the floor, rendered grim and

Striker?"

lock. Breakfass'll soon be ready. You c

ned some time in the n

the edge of the tick,

s silent f

ll we could do to be as quiet as possible. Pe

r, and then hastily made his way out of the cabin and around to the well. Eliza was preparing breakfast. In the grey half-light he made out Striker and Zachariah moving about the barnlot. A

ablutions, the dar

spluttered, over the edge of t

h, Ah slep' powerful p

more'n fifteen second

. Zachariah's eyes were

than fifteen seconds, you rascal. Why, you

Ah jes' couldn't holp worryin', Marse Kenneth, 'bout you all. Ah sez to m

awake by noises or-by the

me awake, mos' likely. Ah reckon Ah is used to noises. Ah jes' couldn't

short. A wary glance out of the corner of his eye sat

e juhney, suh. Yas, SUH! Ev'thing all hunky-dory jes' soon

beautiful and exasperating girl. Phineas was strangely glum and preoccupied, his wife too

about, I see," ventured Kenneth at last, taking the

from his plate. "She's

on

a little while

for her," vol

n a hurry," added Strik

wagon last night," said the young man,

cted his host. "Jist half a

er mother

Striker's non-co

ey did not wish to discuss the matter. H

ok it to be,-just after I was awakened by the barking of the dogs.

could not see Eliza, who was at the stove behind him, he was struck by the fact that there was a brief, sig

woods?" said Strike

e at

ay not have be

ay was i

tion," indicat

cks in the pan was resumed

wild duck and geese this mornin'. There'

now it wasn't duck hunters. Nobody's out shooting ducks with the river as high as it is

ortly afterward, I naturally concluded that the l

to know now somethin' that will be of considerable interest to you later on. I ain'

it come from somebody else, Phin

with a couple of hosses an' they was to be off before the sun was up on their way to Attica where they was to be married, an' then go on down the river to his home in Terry Hut. Me an' Eliza set up all night in that bedroom, tryin' to coax her out of it. I don't like this Lapelle feller. He's a handsome cuss, but he's as wild as all get out,-drinks, gambles, an' all setch. Well, to make a long story short, that was prob'ly him up yander on the ole Injin trace, with his hosses, waitin' fer

nd of her mother. I can't understand it in her. All the more reason fer her to stick to her mother when it's a fact that the old woman ain't got what you'd call a friend in the whole deestrict. She's a queer sort of woman,-close an' stingy as all get out, an'

e ain't the only man that's in love with her. They ALL are,-clear from Lafayette to Terry Hut, an' maybe beyond. Don't yo

o run on the Mississippi. I guess she kinder lost her head over him," he went on musingly. "He's an awful feller with women, so good-lookin' an' all, an' so different from the farm boys aroun' here. Allus got good clothes on, an' they say he has fit a couple of duels down the river. Somehow that allus appeals to you

promised to develop into an acrimonious wrangle over pre-connubial impressions. He was decide

y with this man Lapelle?" he exclaim

me of her personal trinkets with her, but Eli

declared the young man angrily. "No gentle

willin' to go home with her ma, so I guess her heart ain't everlastingly busted. I thought it was best to tell you all this, Mr. Gwynne, 'ca

hat you mean, Striker. She i

, cryptically. He opened the kitchen door and cal

arnyard and prepared to depart. The sun was shining and there was a tast

call it down in Crawfordsville. Remember, you're allus most welcome here. I reckon we'll see somethin' of each other as time goes on. I

ne's stirrup as they mov

a long talk with you about my father. You knew him well

or half a dozen paces,

as sayin' as how she told you a lot about him las

me nothi

o she was talkin' about at the time, but it was your father she was describin'. We all three knowed somethin' that you didn't know,