ason had borrowed one of
Riley's horses, without the knowledge of its owner, and had gone off,
north of the mica mine. Some negroes had seen him riding away.

So Tony and his men took horses and rode away after him. Each of them
carried his gun, for they did not know in what company they might find
Mason. A man who steals horses is generally considered, especially in
the country, to be wicked enough to do anything.

At a little place called Jordan's cross-roads, they were sure they had
come upon him. Tom Riley's horse was found at the blacksmith's shop at
the cross-roads, and the blacksmith said that he had been left there to
have a shoe put on, and that the man who had ridden him had gone on over
the fields toward a house on the edge of the woods, about a mile away.

So Tony and his men rode up to within a half-mile of the house, and then
they dismounted, tied their horses, and proceeded on foot. They kept, as
far as possible, under cover of the tall weeds and bushes, and hurried
along silently and in single file, Tony in the lead. Thus they soon
reached the house, when they quietly surrounded it.

But George Mason played them a pretty trick.

CHAPTER XIII.

COUSIN MARIA.

After posting one of his men on each side of the house, which stood on
the edge of a field, without any fence around it, Tony Kirk stepped up
to the front door and knocked. The door was quickly opened by a woman.

"Why, Cousin Maria," said Tony, "is this you?"

"Certainly it's me, Anthony," said the woman; "who else should it be?"

Cousin Maria was a tall woman, dressed in black. She had gray hair and
wore spectacles. She seemed very glad to see Tony, and shook hands with
him warmly.

"I didn't know you lived here," said Tony.

"Well, I don't live here, exactly," said Cousin Maria; "but come in and
sit awhile. You've been a-huntin', have you?"

"Well, yes," said Tony, "I am a-huntin'."

Without mentioning that he had some friends outside, Tony went in and
sat down to talk with Cousin Maria. The man in front of the house had
stepped to one side when the door opened, and the others were out of
sight, of course.

Tony entered a small sitting-room, into which the front door opened, and
took a seat by Cousin Maria.

"You see," said she, "old Billy Simpson let this house fur a hundred
dollars--there's eighty acres with it--to Sarah Ann Hemphill and her
husband; and he's gone to Richmond to git stock for a wheelwright's
shop. Tha