eman, the carriage of a
man used to command. Certain of his garments seemed to show wealth,
although she noted, when he stripped off his traveling-smock, that he
wore not a new coat, but an old one--very old, she would have said,
soiled, stained, faded. It looked as if it had once been part of a
uniform.

Her guest, whoever he was--and she neither knew nor asked, for the
wilderness tavern held no register, and few questions were asked or
answered--paid small attention to the woman. He carried his saddlebags
into the room pointed out to him, flung them down, and began to pace
up and down, sometimes talking to himself. The woman eyed him from
time to time as she went about her duties.

"Set up and eat," she said at last. "I reckon your men are not
coming."

"I thank you, Madam," said the stranger, with gentle courtesy. "Do not
let me trouble you too much. I have been ill of late, and do not as
yet experience much hunger."

Indeed, he scarcely tasted the food. He sat, as she noted, a long
time, gazing fixedly out of the door, over the forest, toward the
West.

"Is it not a beautiful world, Madam?" said he, after a time, in a
voice of great gentleness and charm. "I have seen the forest often
thus in the West in the evening, when the day was done. It is
wonderful!"

"Yes. Some of my folks is thinking of going out further into the
West."

He turned to her abstractedly, yet endeavoring to be courteous.

"A wonderful country, Madam!" said he; and so he fell again into his
moody staring out beyond the door.

After a time the hostess of the backwoods cabin sought to make up a
bed for him, but he motioned to her to desist.

"It is not necessary," said he. "I have slept so much in the open that
'tis rarely I use a bed at all. I see now that my servant has come up,
and is in the yard yonder. Tell him to bring my robes and blankets and
spread them here on the floor, as I always have them. That will answer
quite well enough, thank you."

Peria, it seemed, had by this time found his way to the cabin along
the trail. He was alone.

"Come, man!" said Lewis. "Make down my bed for me--I am ill. And tell
me, where is my powder? Where are the bullets for my pistols? I find
them empty. Haven't I told you to be more careful about these things?
And where is my rifle-powder? The canister is here, but 'tis empty.
Come, come, I must have better service than this!"

But even as he chided the remissness of his servant, he seemed t