they hanged Quakers."

[Illustration: "KOTCH 'EM STEALIN' HOSSES, I RECKON."]

"Kotch 'em stealin' hosses, I reckon."

"No, hanged them on account of their religion."

"Whew, ruther hard on that sort of doctrine."

"Helloa, Jasper," a voice called, and looking about they saw Laz Spencer
climbing upon the fence. They bade him good morning, and sitting on the
top rail of the fence he took out a jews-harp and began to wipe it on
his coat-sleeve.

"How air you gittin' along, Laz?" Old Jasper inquired.

"Never better."

"Glad to hear it. Best day of a man's life is when he was never better.
I'll let that nigger finish this job," he said, sticking the axe into a
log; and Mrs. Mayfield, willing enough to play quits, smiled upon him
and walked out to the gap and stood looking down the road.

"Have a drink of water, Laz?" Jasper inquired, pointing to a pail on the
bench.

"No, laid on a rock an' got a drink outen the creek as I come along."

"Wall, this is fresh water. Wan't fotch from the spring mo' than
twenty-fo' hours ago."

"Don't reckon you kin tempt me, Jasper."

The old man took up the gourd, and in attempting to drink, let the water
pour through the handle and run down his sleeve. He threw the vegetable
dipper back into the bucket and declared that a man might as well try to
drink out of a sifter.

"Any news over yo' way, Laz?"

"Don't believe thar's anythin' wu'th dividin'."

"Nobody shot or cut?"

"Let me see. Reckon you hearn about Oscar Pryor."

"No, not sence he borrid five dollars of me. What about him?"

"Went down in the bottoms whar folks war a leetle too civilized an' fell
in a well."

"Did they git him out?"

"Oh, yes, they got him out jest in time."

"Jest in time to save his life?"

"No, jest in time to keep from sp'ilin' the water. He drownded all
right."

"Ought to have drownded long ago," Jasper replied. "But I'd a leetle
ruther it had tuck place befo' he got the five from me."

"But say, Jasper, come to think of it we did have some right sharp
excitement over our way yistidy. 'Lowed thar war suthin' on my mind.
Ricolleck the hoss the preacher swopped to Dave Somers?"

"The bay with white fetlocks?"

"Yes, thatter'n. Wall, Dave tuck him home an' put him in the stable, an'
in the night he got up an' went out to rub him, havin' him on his mind,
an' when he went into the stable he found the hoss dead."

"What, you don't mean it?"

"Wall, I don't deceive a man about si