uldn't be the wind ez I hearn a-hollerin'."

"I hopes an' prays I hurt 'em," he said, as he replaced the rifle in the
rack. He was shaking the other hand, which had been jarred in some way
by the hasty discharge of the weapon. "Some dad-burned horse-thief war
arter the mare. Jedgin' from the sound o' thar running 'peared like to
me ez thar mought be two o' 'em."

The next day the mare disappeared from the stable. Yet she could not be
far off, for Tobe was about the house most of the time, and when he and
the "Colonel" came in-doors in the evening the little girl held in her
hand a half-munched ear of corn, evidently abstracted from the mare's
supper.

"Whar be the filly hid, Tobe?" Eugenia asked, curiosity overpowering
her.

"Ax me no questions an' I'll tell ye no lies," he replied, gruffly.

In the morning there was a fall of snow, and she had some doubt whether
her mother, who had gone several days before to a neighbor's on the
summit of the range, would return; but presently the creak of unoiled
axles heralded the approach of a wagon, and soon the old woman, bundled
in shawls, was sitting by the fire. She wore heavy woollen socks over
her shoes as protection against the snow. The incompatibility of the
shape of the hose with the human foot was rather marked, and as they
were somewhat inelastic as well, there was a muscular struggle to get
them off only exceeded by the effort which had been required to get them
on. She shook her head again and again, with a red face, as she bent
over the socks, but plainly more than this discomfort vexed her.

"Laws-a-massy, 'Genie! I hearn a awful tale over yander 'mongst them
Jenkins folks. Ye oughter hev married Luke Todd, an' so I tole ye
an' fairly beset ye ter do ten year ago. _He_ keered fur ye. An'
Tobe--shucks! Wa'al, laws-a-massy, child! I hearn a awful tale 'bout
Tobe up yander at Jenkinses'."

Eugenia colored.

"Folks hed better take keer how they talk 'bout Tobe," she said, with a
touch of pride. "They be powerful keerful ter do it out'n rifle range."

With one more mighty tug the sock came off, the red face was lifted, and
Mrs. Pearce shook her head ruefully.

"The Bible say 'words air foolishness.' Ye dun-no what ye air talkin'
'bout, child."

With this melancholy preamble she detailed the gossip that had arisen
at the county town and pervaded the country-side. Eugenia commented,
denied, flashed into rage, then lapsed into silence. Although it did not
cons