arm, and a note was sent to Lizzi by
her laconic correspondent:

"LIZZI: Bill, Benner and me is gon' consertin'.

HUNCH."

CHAPTER XV.

THE BROTHERS LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT GILL.

The McAnay brothers went direct to the town where Gill had said his
mother lived. There they learned that he had not been seen in the
village since his mother died.

"How long ago was that?" Levi asked their informant.

"'Bout five year."

"Five years? You must be mistaken."

Levi was staggered by the realization of the cruelty of Gill's plot
against his sister, while Matthi and Cassi ground their teeth and
clenched their hands.

"If yer don't believe me," said the indifferent villager, "yer kin ask
his mother-'n-law; she lives jist over there."

"His mother-in-law? Has he a wife?" Levi would not believe Gill was so
depraved.

"He hed one here; nobody knows how many he's got scattered 'round. The
one here died 'bout a month ago. She heard he'd marrid agin, an' the
news didn't 'gree with her. She was sickly ennyhow. Gill's a slick un,
he is."

"Did they call him Gill here?" Levi asked.

"Yes; nobody but his mother an' his wife called him John. Gillfillan's
too long, so folks jist called him Gill, 'cept his mother-'n-law, an'
she didn't call him nuthin'."

Levi laughed in a forced way at this, but Matthi and Cassi scowled. With
his sinister smile lighting up his face, Levi said, lightly as he
could:

"We didn't know Gill was so gay. We used to work where he did, and as we
were out of a job, thought we'd hunt him up and get something to do,
since we were passing his way."

"He ain't ben here fer more'n five year, as I was tellin' yer. Guess
he's somewheres in jail. He was honest 'nuff, but would go courtin' the
gurls in spite uv enything."

The garrulous fellow was laughing at his own wit, when Levi said in a
careless way:

"Since we have heard so much about Gill, I would like to know one thing
more. He was always bragging about his rich mother and the fortune he
was going to get at her death."

The villager exploded in a loud guffaw at this, and, after a vigorous
shaking of his sides and slapping his thighs, said, between the gasps
and swallows which were distressing him:

"Why, she--well, thet's--by jiminy--well, heng it, she was a wash an'
scrub woman, an' the neighburs buri'd her."

By this time Levi had obtained the mastery of himself, and laughed
heartily