aid. The snow and the
cold will furnish me protiction to-night. There'll be no one to fear.
Why should you do Jimmy's work, and miss the sport, to guard the thing
he holds so lightly?"

The red flushed Dannie's cheeks. Mary never before had spoken like
that. He had to say something for Jimmy quickly, and quickness was not
his forte. His lips opened, but nothing came; for as Jimmy had boasted,
Dannie never lied, except for him, and at those times he had careful
preparation before he faced Mary. Now, he was overtaken unawares. He
looked so boyish in his confusion, the mother in Mary's heart was
touched.

"I'll till you what we'll do, Dannie," she said. "You tind the stock,
and get in wood enough so that things won't be frazin' here; and then
you hitch up and I'll go with you to town, and stay all night with Mrs.
Dolan. You can put the horse in my sister's stable, and whin you and
Jimmy get back, you'll be tired enough that you'll be glad to ride
home. A visit with Katie will be good for me; I have been blue the last
few days, and I can see you are just aching to go with the boys. Isn't
that a fine plan?"

"I should say that IS a guid plan," answered the delighted Dannie.
Anything to save Mary another night alone was good, and then--that coon
hunt did sound alluring.

And that was how it happened that at nine o'clock that night, just as
arrangements were being completed at Casey's, Dannie Macnoun stepped
into the group and said to the astonished Jimmy: "Mary wanted to come
to her sister's over nicht, so I fixed everything, and I'm going to the
coon hunt, too, if you boys want me."

The crowd closed around Dannie, patted his back and cheered him, and he
was introduced to Mister O'Khayam, of Boston, who tried to drown the
clamor enough to tell what his name really was, "in case of accident";
but he couldn't be heard for Jimmy yelling that a good old Irish name
like O'Khayam couldn't be beat in case of anything. And Dannie took a
hasty glance at the Thread Man, to see if he wore that hated pleated
coat, which lay at the bottom of Jimmy's anger.

Then they started. Casey's wife was to be left in charge of the saloon,
and the Thread Man half angered Casey by a whispered conversation with
her in a corner. Jimmy cut his crowd as low as he possibly could, but
it numbered fifteen men, and no one counted the dogs. Jimmy led the
way, the Thread Man beside him, and the crowd followed. The walking
would be best to follow the ra