clude him in the bewildering drama
of their lives. For different reasons they knew that Jim's cold
understanding of duty would shatter the sacred security that was all
theirs. Truedale meant to confide everything to White upon his
return--meant to rely upon him in the reconstruction of his life; but he
knew nothing could be so fatal to the future as any conflict at the
present with the sheriff's strict ideas of conduct. As for Nella-Rose,
she had reason to fear White's power as woman-hater and upholder of law
and order. She simply eliminated Jim and, in order to do this, she must
keep him in the dark.

Early that morning she had looked, as she did every day, from the hill
behind the house and she had seen but one thin curl of smoke from the
clearing! If White had not returned the night before the chances were
that he would make another day of it! Nella-Rose often wondered why
others did not note the tell-tale smoke--a clue which often played a
vital part in the news of the hills. Only because thoughts were focussed
on the Hollow and on White's absence, was Truedale secure in his
privacy.

"I'll hurry mighty fast to the Centre," Nella-Rose concluded, after
escaping from Marg's disturbed gaze, "then I'll hide the things by the
big road and I'll--go to his cabin. I'll--I'll surprise him!"

Truedale had told her the day before, in a moment of caution, that he
would have to work hard for a time in order to make ready for White's
return. The fact was he had now got to that point in his story when he
longed for Jim as he might have longed for safety on a troubled sea.
With Jim back and fully informed--everything on ahead would be safe.

"I'll surprise him!" murmured Nella-Rose, with the dimples in full play
at the corners of her mouth; "old Jim White can't keep me away. I'll
watch out--it's just for a minute; I'll be back by sundown; it will be
only to say 'how-de?'"

Something argued with the girl as she ran on--something quite new and
uncontrolled. Heretofore no law but that of the wilds had entered into
her calculations. To get what she could of happiness and life--to make
as little fuss as possible--that had been her code; but now, the same
restraint that had held Marg from going to the Hollow awhile back, when
she thought that, with night, Burke Lawson might disclose his
whereabouts, held Nella-Rose! So insistent was the rising argument that
it angered the girl. "Why? Why?" her longings and desires cried.
"Because!