s are chilly."

In the days of his youth women and girls wore bonnets and shawls, and
I never knew him to refer to their cloaks or headgear in any other
terms. Jessie assured him that she was well protected, and Joe and I
followed her and her sturdy escort out to the gate.

"Had Leslie better come down with the others to-morrow?" Jessie
inquired after they were seated in the cart, and while Joe was tucking
the lap robe around her feet.

"Oh, no! By no means. It isn't necessary, and her being here will
enable us to swear that the house hasn't been vacant, day or night,
since the claim was first filed on, and ain't vacant even at the
present minute. We can't be too careful, you know. Good night to you
both!"

He spoke to the colt; Jessie echoed his good night, and they were
gone.

CHAPTER XXIII

ALONE ON THE CLAIM

Joe glanced at the clock as we re-entered the house, after the cart
had disappeared down the road. "Now, if yo' gits right to bed, Leslie,
chile, yo's gwine git right sma'ht ob sleep afore yo' has to git up
ter holp me git stahted," he said.

It was past one o'clock. "I don't know, Joe," I returned. "It seems
hardly worth while to try to sleep at all; we must get up so soon."

"Hit's wuf while ter git sleep w'enebber, an' wharebber yo' kin," the
old man insisted, with the wisdom of experience.

Accordingly, I lay down on my bed without taking the trouble to
undress--I was so fearful of oversleeping. For a long time I lay
thinking of Jessie, on her hurried night ride, of old Joe, and the
blessed relief that his coming had brought us, and, above all, of Mr.
Horton and his machinations. I meant to be awake when the hour that
Joe had suggested for rising struck. The hour was five o'clock, but it
was well past, when a gentle tap on the door awoke me, and Joe's voice
announced: "Hit's done struck fibe, Miss Leslie; yo's bettah be
stirrin."

My reply was forestalled by a delighted cry from the crib, where Ralph
was supposed to lie asleep: "Oho! Mine Joe is tum 'ome! Mine Joe is
tum 'ome!"

I heard the negro shuffle quickly across the floor, and the next
instant Ralph was in his arms and being borne triumphantly into the
kitchen. The friendship between the two was mutual, and it was not at
all surprising that Ralph was beside himself with joy at Joe's return.
He hurried through his own breakfast, watched Joe, gravely, through
his, and then announced his intention of accompanying the latter, "in