In a few minutes he
returned. "Joe must give 'em a good rubbin' when he comes, sister," he
said.

"All right," replied the woman, and then turning to Mary, "Come."

"What, ma'm?"

"Eat." She touched the back of a chair. "Sam, bring the baby." She stood
and waited on the table.

Mary was still eating, when suddenly she rose up, saying:--

"Why, where is Mr. ----, your brother?"

"He's gone to take a sleep outside," said his sister. "It's too resky
for him to sleep in a house."

She faintly smiled, for the first time, at the end of this long speech.

"But," said Mary, "oh, I haven't uttered a word of thanks. What will he
think of me?"

She sank into her chair again with an elbow on the table, and looked up
at the tall standing figure on the other side, with a little laugh of
mortification.

"You kin thank God," replied the figure. "_He_ aint gone." Another ghost
of a smile was seen for a moment on the grave face. "Sam aint thinkin'
about that. You hurry and finish and lay down and sleep, and when you
wake up he'll be back here ready, to take you along furder. That's a
healthy little one. She wants some more buttermilk. Give it to her. If
she don't drink it the pigs'll git it, as the ole woman says.... Now you
better lay down on the bed in yonder and go to sleep. Jess sort o'
loosen yo' cloze; don't take off noth'n' but dress and shoes. You
needn't be afeard to sleep sound; I'm goin' to keep a lookout."

CHAPTER LV.

DIXIE.

In her sleep Mary dreamed over again the late rencontre. Again she heard
the challenging outcry, and again was lashing her horse to his utmost
speed; but this time her enemy seemed too fleet for her. He overtook--he
laid his hand upon her. A scream was just at her lips, when she awoke
with a wild start, to find the tall woman standing over her, and bidding
her in a whisper rise with all stealth and dress with all speed.

"Where's Alice?" asked Mary. "Where's my little girl?"

"She's there. Never mind her yit, till you're dressed. Here; not them
cloze; these here homespun things. Make haste, but don't get excited."

"How long have I slept?" asked Mary, hurriedly obeying.

"You couldn't 'a' more'n got to sleep. Sam oughtn't to have shot back at
'em. They're after 'im, hot; four of 'em jess now passed through on the
road, right here past my front gate."

"What kept them back so long?" asked Mary, tremblingly attempting to
button her dress in the back.

"Let me do that," s