him. They chased him right
fast, and ther on'y way dad he cud 'scape ther fangs war by making a
sharp turn every time they gut too clost. Yer see ther critters cudn't
swerve fast enuff, an'd slide a long ways on ther ice 'cause it war so
smooth. An' in that way he kept goin' till he gut nigh home; when sum o'
ther neighbors, they kim out, an' knocked spots outen ther wolves."

"Whew! I can just imagine it," declared Thad, "and I wager, now, it must
have been some exciting while it lasted."

Chatting in this way they tramped on through the pine woods, heading in
a direct line for the distant cabin of Cale Martin, whose wife had long
since been dead, so that with Little Lina also gone, the old woodsman
had lived alone for more than a year, always nursing his grievance
against Jim Hasty.

When noon came, and they stopped a little while to refresh themselves
with some of the food carried along in Thad's haversack, Jim announced
that they must be more than half way to their destination.

Thad looked into the face of the guide frequently, wondering if Jim's
heart was beginning to fail him the closer he drew to the implacable
giant who had uttered such ferocious threats against his new son-in-law;
but the only thing he did notice was a smile of supreme confidence
whenever Jim happened to put up his hand to touch the breast of his
coat, about the place where an inner pocket would be. And from this Thad
understood that the other had the fullest confidence that the message he
was bearing to Lina's father, the olive branch he meant to extend to Old
Cale, was sure to work as she had intended it should.

It was about an hour and more, possibly two, after the noon halt, that
Thad saw Jim come to a stop, and start to sniff the air suspiciously.

"What it it, Jim?" he asked, though he could give a pretty good guess
even before the woods' pilot uttered a word.

"I smells smoke, sure enuff, naow," replied Jim.

"Then the wind's changed, hasn't it?" inquired Thad, bristling up, as a
vision of more or less excitement to vary the monotony of this rather
dreary tramp through the piney forest flashed before his mind.

"It sure hes, Thad; and I kinder guess afore a great while yeou might be
havin' thet wish o' yeourn kim true; 'cause ther's a fire sumwhar not
far away right naow; which, with ther change o' wind, is liable tew
sweep daown on us like a whirlwind. Mebbe so be yeou mout see more'n
yeou bargained fur, Thad!"

CHAP