't guess which one of 'em he put a pea under. I seed him put it
under one--seed him jest as cl'ar as I see you, an' I would have bet him
five dollars, but--"

"But what?"

"Didn't have the money. Allus my luck. Ever' time I've come across a
chance fur a good speckerlation I ain't got no money. But I must be
goin'--I don't know, howsomedever, fur wife must have fed the stock by
this time. Lemme see. I reckon I better go."

That night when the romantic woman from the city was asleep, she did not
dream that the preacher was on his knees, with clasped hands, gazing up
at her window.

CHAPTER XI.

READING THE NEWS.

The next morning Old Jasper took up the story-paper and for a long time
sat at the table, bending over it, reading laboriously. Not far away his
wife sat, knitting and slowly rocking. Sometimes the old man's face
would light up and then it would darken.

"Shot fo' an' stobbed three," he read. "Hold on, he's about to git
another one. Got him! Oh, you bet he's got him foul. Wait a minit."
Then, gripping the table with one hand and with the other one grasping
the paper, he continued to read: "'Then the Captain findin' himself
again surrounded by the'"--he halted and began to spell out the
word--"'by the--b-a-n-d-i-t-s--threw down his empty pistol, drew his
dirk and--' Who tore this off?" he got up excitedly and demanded. "Here,
fetch me what the Captain done. Never in all my life was I left in sich
a lurch. Why, thar's no tellin' how many mo' he killed. Didn't think
that feller Gabe was sich a good jedge of a paper, but blamed if he
didn't fetch me one with news a oozin' out at every pore. And now
somebody has come along an' grabbed the works outen it. Margaret, don't
you see whut a fix I'm in? Can't you help me?"

Without looking up from her knitting, she replied: "Why, Jasper, that
ain't news. It's only a story-paper."

He staggered back as if she had thrown over him a pail of cold water.
His hair looked limp, and dew-beads of emotion stood out upon his brow.
He took a step forward and limped as if he had lost a part of his
strength.

"What, Margaret, ain't news when a man shoots fo' an' stobs three? Now
you air a woman of fine sense. I've allus said that, and for mercy sake
don't come a tellin' me that you don't know what news is. Scold me
whenever you feel like it, but don't come a tellin' me that."

She didn't look up. "But Jasper, it ain't true."

"Ain't true? Here it is, right here. Lo