suddenly a voice came to her, Aunt Mollie's voice,
"How do you reckon you'll like bein' a fine lady, Sammy, and a
livin' in the city with the big folks?"

The girl turned on her side and rising on one elbow looked again
at Mutton Hollow with its little cabin half hidden in the timber.
And, as she looked, slowly her rich red life colored cheek, and
neck, and brow. With a gesture of impatience, Sammy turned away to
her own home on the southern slope of the mountain, just in time
to see a young woman ride into the clearing and dismount before
the cabin door. It was her friend, Mandy Ford. The girl on the
rock whistled to her pony, and, mounting, made her way down the
hill.

All that day the strange guest at the Matthews place was the one
topic of conversation between the two girls.

"Shucks," said Mandy, when Sammy had finished a very minute
description of Mr. Howitt; "he's jest some revenue, like's not."

Sammy tossed her head; "Revenue! you ought to see him! Revenues
don't come in no such clothes as them, and they don't talk like
him, neither."

"Can't tell 'bout revenues," retorted the other. "Don't you mind
how that'n fooled everybody over on th' bend last year? He was
jest as common as common, and folks all 'lowed he was just one of
'em."

"But this one ain't like anybody that we ever met up with, and
that's jest it," returned Sammy.

Mandy shook her head; "You say he ain't huntin'; he sure ain't
buyin' cattle this time o' year; and he ain't a wantin' t' locate
a comin' in on foot; what else can he be but a revenue?"

To which Sammy replied with an unanswerable argument; "Look a
here, Mandy Ford; you jest tell me, would a low down revenue ask a
blessin' like Parson Bigelow does?"

At this Mandy gave up the case, saying in despair, "Well, what is
he a doin' here then? 'Tain't likely he's done come into th' woods
fer nothin'."

"He told Old Matt that he was sick and tired of it all," answered
the other.

"Did he look like he was ailin'?"

Sammy replied slowly, "I don't reckon it's that kind of sickness
he meant; and when you look right close into his eyes, he does
'pear kind o' used up like."

In connection with this discussion, it was easy to speak of Miss
Lane's fairy prospects, for, was not the stranger from the city?
and was not Sammy going to live in that land of wonders? The two
girls were preparing for the night, when Sammy, who was seated on
the edge of the bed, paused, with one shoe off, to