nd agin him, 'thout 'twar the Cunnel
thar."

She glanced around at the little girl's face framed in the frill of her
night-cap, and peaceful and infantile as it lay on the pillow.

"Whenst the Cunnel war born," Eugenia went on, languidly reminiscent,
"Tobe war powerful outed 'kase she war a gal. I reckon ye 'members ez
how he said he hed no use for sech cattle ez that. An' when she tuk sick
he 'lowed he seen no differ. 'Jes ez well die ez live,' he said.
An' bein' ailin', the Cunnel tuk it inter her head ter holler. Sech
holler-in' we-uns hed never hearn with none o' the t'other chil'ren.
The boys war nowhar. But a-fust it never 'sturbed Tobe. He jes spoke out
same ez he useter do at the t'others, 'Shet up, ye pop-eyed buzzard!'
Wa'al, sir, the Cunnel jes blinked at him, an' braced herself ez stiff,
an' _yelled!_ I 'lowed 'twould take off the roof. An' Tobe said he'd
wring her neck ef she warn't so mewlin'-lookin' an' peaked. An' he tuk
her up an' walked across the floor with her, an' she shet up; an' he
walked back agin, an' she stayed shet up. Ef he sot down fur a mi nit,
she yelled so ez ye'd think ye'd be deef fur life, an' ye 'most hoped
ye would be. So Tobe war obleeged ter tote her agin ter git shet o' the
noise. He got started on that thar 'forced march,' ez he calls it, an'
he never could git off'n it. Trot he must when the Cunnel pleased. He
'lowed she reminded him o' that thar old Cunnel that he sarved under in
the wars. Ef it killed the regiment, he got thar on time. Sence then
the Cunnel jes gins Tobe her orders, an' he moseys ter do 'em quick, jes
like he war obleeged ter obey. I b'lieve he air, somehows."

"Wa'al, some day," said the disaffected old woman, assuming a port of
prophetic wisdom, "Tobe will find a differ. Thar ain't no man so headin'
ez don't git treated with perslimness by somebody some time. I knowed a
man wunst ez owned fower horses an' cattle-critters quarryspondin', an'
he couldn't prove ez he war too old ter be summonsed ter work on the
road, an' war fined by the overseer 'cordin' ter law. Tobe will git his
wheel scotched yit, sure ez ye air born. Somebody besides the Cunnel
will skeer up grit enough ter make a stand agin him. I dunno how other
men kin sleep o' night, knowin' how he be always darin' folks ter differ
with him, an' how brigaty he be. The Bible 'pears ter me ter hev Tobe in
special mind when it gits, ter mournin' 'bout'n the stiff-necked ones."

*****

The spirited yo