essly, "You can't live much longer; don't you know
that?"

Old Granny Thornton, half lifting herself from her chair, shook her head
and made a reply to Colonel Witham, which Henry Burns could not hear.
But what she said was perhaps indicated by Colonel Witham's reply.

"Yes, I do like her," he said. "She's a flyaway and up to tricks, but
I'll take that out of her. I'll bring her up better than you could. I
need her to help take care of the place."

Again the woman appeared to remonstrate. She pointed a bony finger at
Colonel Witham and spoke excitedly. Colonel Witham's face flushed with
anger.

"I tell you you've got to give her to me," he cried. "I'll swear you put
her in my charge. I'll take her. It's that, or I'll pack you both off to
the poorhouse. I'll make out the papers for you to sign. You'll do it;
you've got to."

Old Granny Thornton sprang from her chair with a vigour excited by her
agitation. She clutched an arm of the chair with one hand, while she
raised the other impressively, like a witness swearing to an oath in
court. And now, her voice keyed high with excitement, these words fell
upon the ears of Henry Burns:

"You'll never get her, Dan Witham. You can't have her. She's been here
too long already. She's going back, now. I can't give her away,
because--because she's not mine to give. She's not mine, I tell you.
She's not mine!"

Then, her strength exhausted by the utterance, she sank back once more
into her seat.

Colonel Witham, his face blank with amazement, sought now to rouse her
once more. He arose and grasped her by an arm. He shook her.

"Whose is she, then, if she's not yours?" he asked. "Whom does she
belong to?"

What answer Granny Thornton made--if any--to this inquiry, was lost to
Henry Burns; for, at this moment, George Warren, stealing to the window,
tripped over a running vine and fell with a crash, amid a row of milk
pans that Henry Burns had carefully avoided.

Henry Burns got one fleeting glimpse of the two by the fire springing up
in alarm, as he and George Warren fled from the spot. A moment more, the
others had joined them in flight, whooping and yelling to bring Colonel
Witham to the door.

Looking back, as they ran, they saw presently a square patch of light
against the dark background of the house, where Colonel Witham had
thrown wide the front door; and, in the light that streamed forth from
within, the figure of the colonel stood disclosed in full relief. He wa