ecause I want you so, little girl, that I must save you."

Somehow Nella-Rose seemed to have lost her fear of the oncoming raiders;
she spoke deliberately, and above a whisper:

"Save me?--from what?"

There were no words to convey to her his meaning. Truedale felt almost
ashamed to hold it in his own mind. They so inevitably belonged to each
other; why should they question?

"I--I shall not go away--again!"

"My darling, you must."

"Where?"

The word brought him to his senses--where, indeed? With the dark woods
full of armed men ready to fire at any moving thing in human shape, he
could not let her go! That conclusion reached, and all anchors cut, the
danger and need of the hour claimed him.

"Yes; you are mine!" he whispered, gathering her to him. "What does
anything matter but our safety to-night? To-morrow; well, to-morrow--"

"Sh!"

No ear but one trained to the secrets of the still places could have
detected a sound.

"They are coming! Yes, not the many--it is Jed! Come! While you slept I
carried a right many things to the rhododendron slick back of the house!
See, push over the chair--leave the door open like you'd gone away
before the storm."

Quickly and silently Nella-Rose suited action to word. Truedale watched
her like one bewitched. "Now!" She took him by the hand and the next
minute they were out on the wet, sodden leaves; the next they were
crouching close under the bushes where even the heavy rain had not
penetrated. Half-consciously Truedale recognized some of his property
near by--his clothing, two or three books, and--yes--it was his
manuscript! The white roll was safe! How she must have worked while he
slept.

Once only did she speak until danger was past. Nestling close in his
arms, her head upon his shoulder, she breathed:

"If they-all shoot, we'll die together!"

The unreality of the thing gradually wore upon Truedale's tense nerves.
If anything was going to happen he wanted it to happen! In another
half-hour he meant to put an end to the farce and move his belongings
back to the cabin and take Nella-Rose home. It was a nightmare--nothing
less!

"Sh!" and then the waiting was over. Two dark figures, guns ready, stole
from the woods behind White's cabin. Where were the dogs? Why did they
not speak out?--but the dogs were trained to be as silent as the men.
They were all part and parcel of the secret lawlessness of the hills. In
the dim light Truedale watched the shadowy form