now bought back
at a ruinous price, and heard Killis and Joab bemoaning the fact that
they had traded mittens and socks off for pop-guns, and telling of the
vast sums Geordie was making selling these and like remains to the
"day-schools," I realized that even as far back as pop-gun time the
forelooker was dealing in ball futures, and that his transactions then
were not even as magnanimous as I had supposed them to be.

Saturday and Sunday are the longed-for days of Cousin Emmeline's funeral
occasion, we are to start to-morrow (Friday) afternoon, and the "two
homesicks" are beside themselves with joy.

XIV

THE VISIT HOME, AND THE FUNERAL OCCASION

_Sunday Night._

Friday noon the little Salyers, Jason (whom I did not dare leave behind)
and I were all ready to start. Nucky, who has the stable job, had just
brought Mandy around in the road and helped me into the saddle, and was
handing me a switch, when suddenly I saw his fingers stiffen, his eyes
widen, his face pale. Looking around for the cause, I saw two youngish
men riding past in the road. Apparently they did not see him; but he
eyed them with concentrated hatred. I hardly needed his low-spoken
words, "Todd and Dalt," to tell me who they were.

"I got to go home quick as I can get there," he said, when they had
passed out of hearing.

"You shall do nothing of the kind," I declared; "you heard Blant's
commands on the subject. He is perfectly able to take care of himself,
and does not want you. I, too, command you to stay here."

"But he _haint_ able to take care of hisself now he's got the babe on
his hands," Nucky insisted; "he can't noway keep lookout: of course they
have come back to kill him if they can. I couldn't rest here a minute."

"Nevertheless, I command you to stay," I said sternly, as I took my
departure.

But for my anxiety about him, and about this new threatening of "war" on
Trigger, my visit to the little Salyers' home would have been a perfect
thing. The day was glorious as we went, the mountains one blaze of reds,
yellows and greens. All the way, the "two homesicks" were urging Mandy
on with voice or hickory or both; while, entranced with the beauty, I
earnestly wished that she might be permitted to go her natural gait.

After following Perilous four miles, we turned up Nancy's Perilous, and
went along it nearly an hour before we reached a small log house, almost
hidden in apple trees, and Mrs. Salyer, with the four little