of an Indian she heard the crackling of twigs in the
underbrush. She closed the door, slipped the lock and tucked the babe in
the basket, and waited. Somebody was coming from the hill above,
breaking the branches as he ran. It was Ben Letts, probably. A light
tap came upon the door. To Ben she would not open, but, glancing at the
window, she saw Ezra Longman's face pressed against the pane.

Slipping back the lock, she flung open the door.

"Ezy, ye air allers a-comin' when I wants to read the Bible. I tells ye
to stay away from the shanty, and ye won't!"

Would the babe remain quiet until the pale squatter boy had departed?

"Ben Letts air a-comin' to see ye to-day," Ezra returned sulkily, "and I
comed, too."

"Did he tell ye as how he was a-comin'?"

"Nope; but I knowed."

"He can't come in," replied Tess, crossly. "I ain't no notion for
company, nohow.... Air the men a-nettin' to-night?"

"Yep."

"Air Ben a-goin' with ye?"

"Yep; Ben has a heavy hand, and nets air hard to haul."

Scarcely had the words fallen from his lips before Letts appeared at the
door. Both boy and girl saw him, and Tessibel rose up.

"Sunday ain't a good day for ye to be comin' here, Ben," she said
sullenly. "I air a-wishin' to be alone to-day."

In spite of the girl's flashing eyes, Ben stepped in, glared at Ezra,
and took the stool, from which he moved the Bible with trembling hands.
Tess had never been quite so frightened--never so fearful of her own
squatter men-folk. Ben and Ezra had come to stay a long time, for each
had dragged off his cap, leaving his dirty head exposed. Still the babe
slept on, no tell-tale smack coming from it. Tess lifted the Bible,
determined to let the men sit as she read, curled up in the wooden
rocker, humming as she swung to and fro. A shadow dropped long upon the
shanty floor. In the doorway stood Teola Graves, tall, thin, and
distressingly pale. Tessibel had not seen her since the day she had
carried the babe to the hill-house. That was three whole weeks ago. Tess
moved awkwardly from the chair, motioned for Ezra Longman to get up, and
stuttered out an invitation for the girl to be seated.

Teola shook her head, and Tess noted her quick survey of the hut.

"I can't sit down," she said weakly, although she allowed Tess to place
her in the chair. "I have been ill for some time, but I could not forget
how kind you were to me when you found me on the rocks, with my ankle
sprained."

The white e