n those long moments of
reflection and something of that anguished concentration which one sees
in Rodin's figure of "The Thinker"--that bronze man bent in the
melancholy travail of the birth of thought.

When an hour later Kinnard Towers and his cortege trooped out of Lone
Stacy's house, Jerry Henderson, willing to breathe the freshness of the
night, strolled along.

The men with the rifles swung to their saddles and rode a few rods
away, but Towers himself lingered and at last with a steady gaze upon
the stranger he made a tentative suggestion.

"I don't aim ter discourage a man thet's got fine ideas, Mr. Henderson,
but hev ye duly considered thet when ye undertakes ter wake up a
country thet's been slumberin' as ye puts hit, fer two centuries, ye're
right apt ter find some sleepy-heads thet would rather be--left alone?"

"I'm not undertaking a revolution," smiled the new arrival. "I'm only
aiming to show folks, by my own example, how to better themselves."

The man who stood as the sponsor of the old order mounted and looked
down from his saddle.

"Hain't thet right smart like a doctor a-comin' in ter cure a man," he
inquired dryly, "a-fore ther sick person hes sent fer him? Sometimes
ther ailin' one moutn't take hit kindly."

"I should say," retorted Henderson blandly, "that it's more like the
doctor who hangs out his shingle--so that men can come if they like."

There was a momentary silence and at its end Towers spoke again with
just a hint of the enigmatical in his voice.

"Ye spoke in thar of havin' personal knowledge thet ther railroad
didn't aim ter come acrost Cedar Mounting, didn't ye?"

"Yes."

"Well now, Mr. Henderson--not meanin' ter dispute ye none--I don't feel
so sartain about thet."

"I spoke from fairly definite information."

The man on horseback nodded.

"I aims ter talk pretty plain. We're a long ways behind ther times up
hyar, an' thet means thet we likes ter sort of pass on folks thet comes
ter dwell amongst us."

"I call that reasonable, Mr. Towers."

"I'm obleeged ter ye. Now jest let's suppose thet ther railroad _did_
aim ter come in atter all an' let's jest suppose for ther fun of ther
thing, thet hit likewise aimed ter grab off all ther best coal an'
timber rights afore ther pore, ign'rant mountain-men caught on ter what
war happenin'. In sich a case, ther fust step would be ter send a man
on ahead, wouldn't hit--a mountain man, if possible--ter preach thet
ther railroa