ge had
taken the nerve out of me. I've got my steam up now." It was Jared
Birkdale! and Billy had hoped he was never to see the man again. From
his babyhood up, a look from Jared had had power to quell him when a
blow from another might fail.

"Well, I ain't got nothing more to give you." Jude sounded sullen and
ugly.

Through a crack in the floor Billy could see that it was Jude who was
preparing the evening meal, while Jared, as usual, was taking his ease,
and discoursing at his leisure.

"You've got more to give than what you know Jude, my boy. What you doing
here, anyway?"

"You see what I'm doing. Here, take this hunk of bread, and come nearer
so I can flip the bacon on."

The sight and smell made Billy's mouth water, even while something in
him foretold danger.

"Now, see here, Jude." Jared spoke through a full mouth. "You and me
can't afford to work at cross purposes. Where we failed once, we are
going to succeed next time."

"You darsn't show your face down there beyond the woods again, and you
know it." Jude spoke doggedly. "They was after us both. Besides I can't
stand transplanting. It would be the death of me. It nearly was."

"Don't be white-livered, Jude. You see the laws have changed more than
any one could have thought, while I was browsing away in St. Ange.
That's where I made my mistake. I ought to have taken time and got the
lay of the land 'fore I beckoned to you; but it looked safe enough, and
I had to take, or leave the Joint, sudden. How could any man know it was
spotted, and so had to be got rid of? It was one on us and no mistake.

"Fill up my cup, Jude, you're a tasty one with cooking."

Jude obeyed and muttered as he did so: "Luck or no luck, I ain't got
nothing, nor ever will have again, so that's an end of it."

"Jude, where you going to?"

"Where be you?"

Up aloft Billy waited.

"I'm going to St. Ange." There was defiance in Jude's tone--defiance and
a sort of shame; Jude had again lost his grip.

"I've just come from there," said Jared.

And now Billy could see through his peephole that Jude started into
life.

"You been there?"

Jared gurgled assent.

"How is--she?"

"That's it, Jude. Now let's get down to business. Having to hide
somewhere after that little unpleasantness down State, I ran up to St.
Ange. Knowing the way about, it was a better place than some others, and
I could keep from sight and find things out. I stopped at Laval's
haunted shack." Billy