nor with any other man who would hire another man
to do his "killin';" but he promised to fight no more, and he kept his
word.

A flood followed on New Year's day. Old Gabe's canoe--his second
canoe--was gone, and a Marcum and a Brayton worked side by side at the
mill hollowing out another. The miller sat at the door whittling.

"'Pears like folks is havin' bad luck with thar dugouts." said Brayton.
"Some trifin' cuss took old Steve Brayton's jes to cross the river,
without the grace to tie it to the bank, let 'lone takin' it back. I've
heard ez how Aunt Sally Day's boy Ben, who was a-fishin' that evenin,
says ez how he seed Isom's harnt a-floatin' across the river in it,
without techin' a paddle."

The Marcum laughed. "Idgits is thick over hyeh," he said. "Ben's
a-gittin' wuss sence Isom was killed. Yes, I recollect Gabe hyeh lost a
canoe jus' atter a flood more'n a year ago, when Rome Stetson 'n' Marthy
Lewallen went a-gallivantin' out' n the mountains together. Hyeh's
another flood, 'n' old Gabe's dugout gone agin." The miller raised
a covert glance of suspicion from under his hat, but the Marcum was
laughing. "Ye oughter put a trace-chain on this un," he added. "A rope
gits rotten in the water, 'n' a tide is mighty apt to break it."

Old Gabe said that "mebbe that wus so," but he had no chain to waste; he
reckoned a rope was strong enough, and he started home.

"Old Gabe don't seem to keer much now 'bout Isom," said the Brayton.
"Folks say he tuk on so awful at fust that hit looked like he wus goin'
crazy. He's gittin' downright peert again. Hello!"

Bud Vickers was carrying a piece of news down to Hazlan, and he pulled
up his horse to deliver it. Aunt Sally Day's dog had been seen playing
in the Breathitt road with the frame of a human foot. Some boys had
found not far away, behind a withered "blind," a heap of rags and bones.
Eli Crump had not been seen in Hazlan since the night of the Marcum
raid.

"Well, ef hit was Eli," said the Brayton, waggishly, "we're all goin' to
be saved. Eli's case 'll come fust, an' ef thar's only one Jedgment Day,
the Lord 'll nuver git to us."

The three chuckled, while old Gabe sat dreaming at his gate. The boy had
lain quiet during the weeks of his getting well, absorbed in one aim--to
keep hidden until he was strong enough to get to Rome. On the last night
the miller had raised one of the old hearth-stones and had given him the
hire of many years. At daybreak the lad drif