him--had, as a mere
child, encountered and vanquished poverty, had clothed and educated
this man and his sisters, had served his every interest with a perfect
self-abnegation all his life; that it was his brother who had won his
election, being a man of much influence and untaught eloquence, and of
great native tact and intelligence; that the secrecy, the conspiracy,
and the publicity of the dramatic denouement, in lieu of an open
rivalry, rendered it a case of the most flagrant ingratitude, and
argued much unworthiness in the people's choice.

But suddenly a doubt began to prevail as to whether he were the
people's choice. In the returns from the farthest districts, not heard
from till quite late in the day, in which Walter Hoxon had felt
secure, Quigley developed unexpected strength. In great perturbation
Walter swiftly patrolled the town in search of Justus; unprecedented
developments were imminent, and he hardly dared face the emergency
without his valiant backer at hand. Justus had disappeared as utterly
as if the night had swallowed him up.

"Consarn the tormentin' critter!" exclaimed Walter, mopping his brow
as he stood at the little gate of Mrs. Elmer's yard, returning
thither, after his fruitless searching, in the hope of finding his
brother among the familiar faces. "Mad ez a hornet, I'll be bound, an'
lef' me in the lurch. Beat arter all, I'll bet!"

Theodosia listened, tremulous, aghast. All the fine prospects that had
seemed so near, into whose charming perspectives she might in another
moment have stepped as actually as upon that path to the gate, were
drawing away, dissolving, as tenuous, as intangible, as those morning
sunlit mists shifting and rising from before the massive blue ranges
of the Great Smoky Mountains, and dallying with the distances into
invisibility.

"I tole ye ag'in an' ag'in ye bes' not be _too sure_," she said, a sob
in her throat, with an obvious disposition to wreak her disappointment
upon him.

It was crushed in the moment.

He turned a frowning face full upon her. "Hold yer jaw!" he cried
violently. "Ef 't warn't for you-uns I'd hev Justus hyar, an' I'll be
bound _he_ could fix it. Ye miserable deceitful critter--settin' two
own brothers at loggerheads! I'll take no word from _you-uns_--sure!"

He shook his head indignantly at her, clapped his hat upon it, and
turned desperately away as a man came running up. "Have ye found
Justus?" Wat exclaimed.

"Justus? No. But they