of the children. Tell sister to hurry
up; we are in a tight place here."

As he spoke, there was the noise of another scuffle in the room. I
turned just in time to see Whistling Jim fling himself upon the man,
who had risen to a sitting position and was making an effort to draw
his pistol. The negro wrenched the weapon from him, threw it out of
reach, seized the hand that had held it and crunched it between his
teeth with such savage ferocity that the ruffian howled with pain.

"Oh, come!" cried the officer. "This won't do, you know; this won't do
at all. I won't put up with it."

"Ef I hadn't er ketched him when I did he'd er shot me daid," Whistling
Jim explained; "me er Marse Cally one. You don't know dat man, suh. He
been follerin' atter we-all fer de longest."

"I know him well enough," remarked the officer. "Still----" He paused
as if listening. The noise he heard was Jane Ryder coming from above.
He met her half-way up the stairs. "My dear old sis!" he exclaimed as
he clasped her in his arms. She said nothing, but sobbed on his
shoulder in a hysterical way that was a surprise to me. "Brace up, dear
girl," he said, trying to soothe her.

"They were always like that," said the mother in her placid way. "I
think it is so nice for brother and sister to be fond of each other.
Don't forget that she gave you fair warning." Her attitude and the tone
of her voice were so out of tune with all my thoughts and surroundings
that I regarded her with amazement. She paid no attention to the look,
however, but folded her hands across her ample bosom and smiled at her
children in a motherly way.

These children, I knew, were speaking of me, though I could not hear
all they said, for the officer--he was Colonel Ryder--laughed and said,
"Oh, he'll be in good company. I picked up another fellow in the woods.
He says his name is Jasper Goodrum." Then she said something in a low
tone, something that caused her brother to regard me with considerable
interest.

"Is that so?" he exclaimed. "You must tell me the particulars later; I
have no time to hear them now. We must get away from here."

XII

As he said, so it was; he hustled everything before him, permitting me
to keep my horse and allowing Whistling Jim to go along. "Good-by,
mother," he said; "I'm sorry to leave you in such a place as this. I
suppose you are waiting for Major Whiskers." He laughed gayly as he
said this, and his mother slapped him playfully as sh