leeves for publishers to peck at." (he made a mental note of
this epigram for future use.) "I've an idea! Suppose you run home with
me now and try over some of my songs, will you? There's a lot of stuff
that might interest you. I've got one of Farwell's machines down in the
road."

"Go over to Holiday Hill in an automobile?" Her eyes sparkled. "But
could I take the baby?"

His face fell. "Why--er--won't it have to be fed or something? I'm
afraid Farwell's bachelor establishment, complete as it is, offers no
facilities for the feeding of infants."

"Oh, it's a bottle baby," she said casually. "But perhaps you're
right--I'll take her up to the house.--No, if I do that, Jemmy'll want
to know where I'm going, and stop me."

"Don't tell her."

"You don't know Jemmy!--I have it. Lige shall come and get the baby."

Cupping her hands about her mouth she let out a peculiar, clear yodel
that promptly brought an answering call from the top of the ravine. In
response to Jacqueline's peremptory, "Come here!" her faithful
lieutenant descended with manifest reluctance.

Ten yards from the cabin he halted. "I dassent come no furder, Miss
Jacky, not for nobody," he pleaded.

"Don't be a coward! The ha'nts won't hurt you. I come here every day,
and they never hurt me."

"No 'm, reck'n dey knows dere place--Dey's culled ha'nts," explained
Lige, and stayed where he was.

But as Jacqueline put the child in his arms, he suddenly let out a
frightened yell. "I sees smoke--oh, my Lawd! I sees smoke an' fire an'
brimstone comin' out'n dat cabin!" he gasped, and fled, clutching the
placid Kitty.

Jacqueline chuckled. "He saw the smoke from your cigarette," she
explained to Channing. "Naturally he thought that it was a little
manifestation from hell for his benefit. He's got religion, you see. So
much the better. Now we'll never be disturbed here!"

The "we" amused Channing. It was evident that he was expected to call
again at the Ruin.

CHAPTER XVIII

It was an epoch-making afternoon for Jacqueline, and not the least part
of the enchantment was her first experience of automobiling. The
wheezing, coughing little equipage known to Professor Thorpe's friends
as the Ark had induced in her the belief that automobiles were a very
poor substitute for horses, and she scorned to enter it. But this
powerful, silent car of Farwell's, capable of such incredible speed and
yet controlled by a lever or a button quite as easily as she