ed.

A half moon shone in the sky, and the night was clear and still.

Then suddenly at a turn in a country road Ambrose abruptly halted,
letting his companion's arm slide from his own. For at this turn in the
road to the end of his life must Ambrose Thompson wake to consciousness,
since from here in the daylight could be seen the first glimpse of the
log schoolhouse, and though not visible by night its spiritual presence
was the plainer.

"I ain't goin' with you to Em'ly's to-night, Miner," Ambrose declared
quietly; "it's more'n I kin stand and more'n you've the right to ask. I
wasn't countin' on you tryin' to outwit me." The words were spoken with
only reasonable reproach, and yet the little man turned on the speaker
fiercely.

"You jist wait here, Ambrose Thompson, till I git back, and keep on
waitin' in the same place, for ef you don't I'll never forgive you, God
knows." And off trotted Miner toward the cabin, until his small form was
lost in the darkness.

Of course Ambrose waited, it having always been his custom to give way
to Miner in small things, and, as he had grown unaccountably weary,
stretched himself full length on the ground, and there a moment later
the man felt himself in the grip of the primal instinct that all big men
and some big women know. His will kept his long clean body still, yet
everything else in him called out the strong man's right over the weak.
The earth that mothered him proved it in all her moods. And yet there
only a few paces ahead of him Miner was holding Emily in his arms. One
swift rush and--here Ambrose checked his vision, for he would not stir
one foot.

Therefore, at first, the slight crackling noise at some little distance
off made no impression upon him, but almost at once and without his own
volition his long, sensitive nose sniffed the odour of smoke somewhere
in the woods. The next instant a flame shot up in the air and Ambrose
with it, for the flame came directly from the neighbourhood of Emily's
cottage.

"Lord!" murmured Ambrose as he ran, "Em'ly's house is afire, and she
hasn't no one but a little runt like Miner to look after her."

CHAPTER XIII

THE SURPRISE PARTY

HE RAN straight on into--Emily.

The girl, having been attracted by the light back of her cabin, had just
come out into her yard and so saw the impossible figure flying toward
her, and in all the world there was never but one other man so homely
and so beautiful.

"I--I thought you