bed what was offered without openly claiming
more. He remained over night with Merrivale and stocked up the next
morning from the store.

He had heard much, but little to any purpose. He carried away with him a
pretty clear picture of Burke Lawson who, by Merrivale's high favour,
appeared heroic. The storm, the search, Lawson's escape and supposed
carrying off of Nella-Rose, were the chief topics of conversation.
Merrivale chuckled in delight over this.

The afternoon of the second day Truedale reached Lone Dome and came upon
Peter, sober and surprisingly respectable, sunning himself on the west
side of the house.

The first glance at the stately old figure, gone to decay like a tree
with dead rot, startled and amazed Truedale and he thanked heaven that
the master of Lone Dome was himself and therefore to be relied upon; no
one could possibly suspect Peter of cunning or deceit in his present
condition.

Greyson greeted the stranger cordially. He was in truth desperately
forlorn and near the outer edge of endurance. An hour more and he would
have defied the powers that had recently taken control of him, and made
for the still in the deep woods; but the coming of Truedale saved him
from that and diverted his tragic thoughts.

The fact was Marg and Jed had gone away to be married. Owing to the
death of the near-by minister in the late storm, they had to travel a
considerable distance in order to begin life according to Marg's strict
ideas of propriety. Before leaving she had impressed upon her father the
necessity of his keeping a clear head in her absence.

"We-all may be gone days, father," she had said, "and yo' certainly do
drop in owdacious places when you're drunk. Yo' might freeze or starve.
Agin, a lurking beast, hunting fo' food, might chaw yo' fo' yo' got yo'
senses."

Something of this Greyson explained to his guest while setting forth the
evening meal and apologizing for the lack of stimulant.

"Being her marriage trip I let Marg have her way and a mind free o'
worry 'bout me. But women don't understand, God bless 'em! What's a drop
in yo' own home? But fo' she started forth Marg spilled every jug onto
the wood pile. When I see the flames extry sparkling I know the reason!"

Greyson chuckled, walking to and fro from table to pantry, with steady,
almost dignified strides.

"That's all right," Truedale hastened to say, "I'm rather inclined to
agree with your daughter; and--" raising the concoction Pet