three alike yit! 'N' they're the same stock,
too, 'n' live in the same house, 'n' borned of the same tree! Hit don't
foller what ye say is right!"

"But they're chestnuts, all the same," Bob laughed, pleased with the
simile.

"'N' I never said they warn't," the other replied. "'N' yeou're a man,
'n' I'm a man, 'n' we're white men, too, 'n' borned in Kaintuck; but
thar hain't only one thing as kin make us alike. That's the one thing
Natur' hain't provided fer--education! Accordin' ter my way of thinkin',
education draws the line 'tween a man 'n' a dawg; 'tween a woman 'n' a
sow. A man kin git hit, but a dawg can't; 'n' if a man don't, then he's
even wuss'n a dawg. I've done a lot of thinkin' 'bout hit," he added in
a reverential, wistful voice, "since Ruth come back ter Sunlight Patch."

"You seem to take things pretty seriously, Dale." Bob gave his shoulder
a slap. "Don't draw your lines too fine with Nature. It's apt to make
you ride over the hounds; it's risky."

"How do ye mean risky?" he quickly asked.

"Lots of ways," Bob laughed, trying to think even of one. "In Nature,
for instance, water flows down hill, but man must continually go up hill
if he expects to be any account--even though he's mostly all made of
water, at that! There's one way for you." And Bob felt proud of this,
and glad the Colonel was listening. And the Colonel, still stalking on
before them, nodded his head in approval.

"'Doth Nature itself not teach you?'" Dale sternly replied in faultless
English. "That's in the Good Book, 'cause Ruth read it out; 'n' that's
what fu'st made me look in the woods 'n' mountings fer my larnin'.
Natur' hain't lied ter me yit--but," he added suspiciously, "hit hain't
said nuthin' 'bout folks being mostly made of water!"

The Colonel gave an explosive snort, but did not turn around.

"It won't lie to you either," Bob said in good humor, "but neither will
it give up all its secrets; and the danger is in thinking you have
guessed what isn't there. Who's Ruth?"

"Ruth?" he turned as though the question surprised him. "She's the
slocum of Sunlight Patch."

"The--slocum?" Bob again asked.

"Yes, the slocum," he answered simply.

"I don't remember having heard of a slocum. Is that one of Nature's
lessons?"

"Bob," the Colonel spoke in a tone of warning, "you astonish me by your
ignorance, sir. Everybody knows what a slocum is!"

They had reached the road, and Dale gave a long, low whinny, in so exact
an