nsparent.

"I war jest passin' by," he announced, "an I 'lowed I'd light down an'
make my manners. I'd love ter hev a drink of water, too."

Without a word Parish turned and went toward the well and the visitor's
eyes lit again to their avid hunger as he gazed at the girl.

Abruptly he declared: "Don't never fergit what I told ye, Dorothy. I'd
do most anything, fer _you_."

The girl made no answer, but she flushed under the intensity of his
gaze, and to herself she said, as she had said once before: "I wonder
would he do sich a thing fer me as Cal's doin' fer his sister?"

The scope and peril of that sacrifice seemed to stand between her and
all other thoughts.

Then Parish came back with a gourd dipper, and forced himself for a few
moments into casual conversation. Though to have intimated his purpose
and destination would have been a fatal thing, it would have been
almost as foolish to wrap in mystery the fact that he meant to make a
short journey from home, so as Bas mounted Parish said:

"I've got a leetle business acrost in Virginny, Bas, an' afore long I'm
goin' over thar fer a few days."

When Elviry Prooner had consented to come as temporary companion for
Dorothy, it seemed merely an adventitious happening that Sim, too, felt
the call of the road.

"I don't know es I've named hit to ye afore, Parish," he volunteered the
next day as the three sat around the dinner table, "but I've got a
cousin thet used ter be more like a brother ter me--an' he got inter
some leetle trouble."

"Is thet so, Sim?" inquired Parish with a ready interest. "War hit a
sore trouble?"

"Hit couldn't skeercely be holped--but he's been sulterin' in ther
penitenshery down thar at Frankfort fer nigh on ter two y'ars now.
Erbout once in a coon's age I fares me down thar ter fotch him tidin's
of his folks. Hit pleasures him."

Thornton began to understand--or thought he did, and again he inclined
his head.

"I reckon, Sim," he said, "ye wants ter make one of them trips now,
don't ye?"

"Thet's a right shrewd guess, Parish. Hit's a handy time ter go. I kin
git back afore corn-shuckin', an' thar hain't no other wuck a-hurtin'
ter be done right now."

"All right, Sim"--the permission came readily--"light out whenever ye
gits ready--but come back fer corn-shuckin'."

When Sim related to Bas Rowlett how free of complication had been the
arrangement, Bas smiled in contentment. "Start out--an' slip back--an'
don't let him git out