fit from his excessive laughter.

"How is this? Let's understand matters," said the Rifleman, a few
minutes later.

"I can soon explain," said Sego. "To commence at the beginning, my name
is Ferdinand Sego Sudbury. I emigrated out in this western country some
years since, with my wife, and only daughter, Edith, here. Shortly
after, my wife died; and, feeling lonely and dejected, I took to
wandering in the woods, making long hunts, to while away the time. You
remember when I encountered you, and received an invitation to make one
of your number. I accepted it, with the understanding that I could not
spend my entire time with you. When not with you, I was at my own
cabin, with my daughter. I joined under the simple name which you have
known me by, for no reason at all save that it was a mere notion, I
having used that name in the East on more than one occasion. I kept my
relations with your band secret from Edith, as I did not wish to alarm
her by letting her know that I took part in your desperate expeditions.

"It happened on one occasion, when wandering along the Ohio, on my
return to my cabin, that I encountered a flat-boat, in which were
several of my acquaintances. At their urgent request, I waded out, was
taken on board, and accompanied them to their destination, down the
river. Here I left them, and several days after reached my cabin. I
found Edith gone. The undisturbed condition of the furniture forbade
the supposition that she had been carried off by the savages. I
endeavored to find her trail, but a storm obliterated all traces, and I
was compelled to give her up as lost.

"It was quite a while before I rejoined you. When I did, I said nothing
of my loss, not believing that you knew any thing about it. It seems
singular that I should have omitted to mention it; but, I will not deny
I had a lingering suspicion that Edith had eloped with some young
hunter, whose acquaintance she had formed during my absence. After I
had been with you some time, I mentioned her name, but, you not having
heard it, I gained no satisfaction by doing so.

"What happened after this is known, perhaps, better to you than to me.
If you love Edith, as I rather suspect you do, from all I have heard
and seen, you are welcome to her. I know she has a strong affection for
you."

It is wonderful how a matter like the one in question will become known
in a small community. The next day there was not a person in the whole
settlement who