it after nothin' stood," said Larry Hawkins, with a certain serious
emphasis; "but I warn't goin' to say it to ANYBODY, and I warn't goin'
to give you and the hacienda away. And ez nobody knew Raintree's story,
I jest shut up my head. But you kin bet your life that the man I saw
warn't no livin' man!"

"We'll see, sah!" said the colonel, rising from his chair with his
fingers in the armholes of his nankeen waistcoat, "ef he ever intrudes
on my property again. But look yar! don't ye go sayin' anything of this
to Polly,--you know what women are!"

A faint color came into Larry's face; an animation quite different to
the lazy deliberation of his previous monologue shone in his eyes, as
he said, with a certain rough respect he had not shown before to his
companion, "That's why I'm tellin' ye, so that ef SHE happened to see
anything and got skeert, ye'd know how to reason her out of it."

"'Sh!" said the colonel, with a warning gesture.

A young girl had just appeared in the doorway, and now stood leaning
against the central pillar that supported it, with one hand above her
head, in a lazy attitude strongly suggestive of the colonel's Southern
indolence, yet with a grace entirely her own. Indeed, it overcame the
negligence of her creased and faded yellow cotton frock and unbuttoned
collar, and suggested--at least to the eyes of ONE man--the curving and
clinging of the jasmine vine against the outer column of the veranda.
Larry Hawkins rose awkwardly to his feet.

"Now what are you two men mumblin' and confidin' to each other? You look
for all the world like two old women gossips," she said, with languid
impertinence.

It was easy to see that a privileged and recognized autocrat spoke.
No one had ever questioned Polly Swinger's right to interrupting,
interfering, and saucy criticisms. Secure in the hopeless or chivalrous
admiration of the men around her, she had repaid it with a frankness
that scorned any coquetry; with an indifference to the ordinary feminine
effect or provocation in dress or bearing that was as natural as it was
invincible. No one had ever known Polly to "fix up" for anybody, yet
no one ever doubted the effect, if she had. No one had ever rebuked her
charming petulance, or wished to.

Larry gave a weak, vague laugh. Colonel Swinger as ineffectively assumed
a mock parental severity. "When you see two gentlemen, miss, discussin'
politics together, it ain't behavin' like a lady to interrupt. Better
run