ol on the river
and that coffee will warm one up mighty well."

"It's fine coffee," said Jarvis proudly. "Aunt Suse taught me how to
make it. She learned, when you didn't git coffee often, an' you had to
make the most of it when you did git it."

"Who is Aunt Suse?"

"Aunt Susan, or Suse as we call her fur short, is back at home in the
hills. She's a good hundred, colonel, an' two or three yars more to
boot, I reckon, but as spry as a kitten. Full o' tales o' the early
days an' the wild beasts an' the Injuns. She says you couldn't make up
any story of them times that ain't beat by the truth. When she come up
the Wilderness Road from Virginia in the Revolution she was already a
young woman. She's knowed Dan'l Boone and Simon Kenton an' all them
gran' old fellers. A tremenjous interestin' old lady is my Aunt Suse,
colonel."

"I've no doubt of it, Mr. Jarvis." said Colonel Kenton, "but I don't
think I can wait a second longer for a cup of that coffee of yours.
It smells so good that if you don't give it to me I'll have to take it
from you."

Jarvis grinned cheerfully. Harry saw that his father had already made a
skillful appeal to the mountaineer's pride.

"Ike, you lunkhead," he said to his nephew, "I told the colonel to set,
but we did'nt give him anythin' to set on. Pull up them blocks o' wood
fur him an' his son. Now you'll take breakfast with us, won't you,
colonel? The bacon an' the corn cakes are ready, too."

"Of course we will," said the colonel, "and gladly, too. It makes me
young again to eat this way in the fresh air of a cool morning."

Samuel Jarvis shone as a host. The breakfast was served on a smooth
stump put on board for that purpose. The coffee was admirable, and the
bacon and thin corn cakes were cooked beautifully. Good butter was
spread over the corn cakes, and Harry and his father were surprised
at the number they ate. Ike, addressed by his uncle variously and
collectively as "lunkhead," "nephew," and "Ike," served. He rarely
spoke, but always grinned. Harry found later that while he had little
use for his vocal organs he invariably enjoyed life.

"Colonel," said Jarvis, at about the tenth corn cake, "be you fellers
down here a-goin' to fight?"

"I suppose we are, Mr. Jarvis!"

"An' is your son thar goin' right into the middle of it?"

"I can't keep him from it, Mr. Jarvis, but he isn't going to stay here
in Kentucky. Other plans have been made for him. When are yo