she looked deplorably young and
sick as she sat huddled in the chair.

"Tormenting women," he finished, sharply. "And, Ebenezer, unless you
want to make an enemy of me, you better let Tess alone. You can't do
anything to harm her, for I won't let you. I may as well tell you, too,
that the day after her father's death I constituted myself her guardian,
and I'll move Heaven and earth to prevent any one harming her. Just
remember that when you plot against her next time.... Now go home and
forget there are such people as squatters.... You'll be happier, and so
will I."

"Deforrest," Waldstricker appealed, changing his belligerent tactics,
"if you keep this thing up, you'll rue it! You know very well Bishop is
hidden somewhere in this squatter settlement. I can only get him by
rooting his people out one by one; if you'll have that court order
rescinded and let me send the girl away, I'll make it possible for you
to run for Governor next fall."

For one minute, the lawyer surveyed Waldstricker critically. He reached
one hand toward Tess. She got to her feet, grasping his fingers with
hers.

"Ebenezer," Young said with great deliberation, "if I crawled across
this girl's body into the Governor's chair, I'd be the basest cur alive.
And furthermore, you promise too much! You can't deliver the goods!
What! _You_ name the next Governor! Why you can't even remove this
little squatter girl from her lonely hut!"

Waldstricker shrank from the scorn in his brother-in-law's voice, opened
the door and strode out.

"Tess," Deforrest said, putting an arm around her, "when are you going
to let me take you away from such things as this? I shudder to think
what might have happened if I hadn't come today, and I've got to go away
again."

Tess smiled up at the big man. Drawing herself erect and lifting her
head proudly, she looked into his face, exultantly, full of buoyant joy
at the tremendous proof of Love's protecting power in the hour of her
great need.

"I jest knowed old Eb couldn't get me," she asserted. "Jesus sent ye
jest in the nick of time, didn't he, huh?"

"But, my dear, listen," Young argued, his love making him apprehensive.
"It's awful for you to be here alone and unprotected. Let me take you
away somewhere."

"I ain't alone," Tess insisted confidently, serene courage resounded in
the sweet voice. "Jesus air here an' He keeps me safe all the time. He
got Daddy out of Auburn an' kept Andy an' me in the shanty. Why