for the first
mile, and walked rapidly the rest of the way. Before he came to the
house, he stopped and pulled off his shoes, hiding them in a
fence-corner. He then left the road, and slipped through the woods until
he was close to the rear of the house. Here his wariness was redoubled.
He wormed himself along like a snake, and crept and crawled, until he
was close enough to see Edie sitting on the front step--there was but
one--of their little cabin. He was close enough to see that she had on
her Sunday clothes, and he thought he could smell the faint odour of
cologne; he had brought her a bottle home the night before.

He lay concealed for some time, but finally he heard footsteps on the
road, and he rose warily to a standing position. Edie heard the
footsteps too, for she rose and shook out her pink frock, and went to
the gate. The lonely pedestrian came leisurely along the road, having no
need for haste. When he found that it was impossible to overtake Ike,
Mr. Hotchkiss ceased to walk rapidly, and regulated his pace by the
serenity of the hour and the deliberate movements of nature. The hour
was rapidly approaching when solitude would be at its meridian on this
side of the world, and a mocking-bird not far away was singing it in.

Mr. Hotchkiss would have passed Ike's gate without turning his head, but
he heard a voice softly call his name. He paused, and looked around, and
at the gate he saw the figure of Edie. "Is that you, Mr. Hotchkiss? What
you do with Ike?"

"Isn't he at home? He started before I did."

"He ain't comin' home to-night, an' I was so lonesome that I had to set
on the step here to keep myse'f company," said Edie. "Won't you come in
an' rest? I know you must be tired; I got some cold water in here, fresh
from the well."

"No, I'll not stop," replied Mr. Hotchkiss. "It is late, and I must be
up early in the morning."

"Well, tell me 'bout Ike," said Edie. "You got 'im in the league all
right, I hope?" She came out of the gate, as she said this, and moved
nearer to Hotchkiss. In her hand she held a flower of some kind, and
with this she toyed in a shamefaced sort of way.

"Mr. Varner is now a member in good standing," replied Hotchkiss, "and I
think he will do good work for his race and for the party."

Edie moved a step or two nearer to him, toying with her flower. Now, Mr.
Hotchkiss was a genuine reformer of the most approved type, and, as
such, he was entitled to as many personal and pri