tubbornly proceeded, and no one looking at his set face could doubt
that he meant all he said.

"Because ef thet's hit, Alexander, afore God Almighty I'm plum willin'
ter meet him an' fight him fer ye with my bare hands 'twell one of us
dies. I hain't none afeared of him, ef so be I'm fightin' fer you--an'
ef he wins ther fight I'd rather be dead anyhow."

Alexander had never seen him so passion-ridden of manner before--and
she thought that if such a combat took place, even with the odds
uneven, the outcome would not be altogether certain.

Had Jerry known it, he was at that moment nearer to stirring the girl
in the way that Halloway had stirred her, than he had ever been before,
but her reply came in a grave and low-pitched voice.

"I hain't ter be won by no battle, Jerry."

"No, o'course not." He had brought himself back with an effort to a
quieter mood and he even sought valiantly to muster the twinkle into
his eyes and the whimsical note into his tone as he said:

"But atter all, I'm a right easy sort of feller ter git along with, an'
I mout be kinderly handy eround ther house. These masterful husbands
sometimes don't w'ar so well. Hit's like havin' ter live with a king,
I reckon."

Now, it was the woman who insisted on gravity. "Look at me, Jerry,"
she commanded and their glances held level as she went on in deep
earnestness.

"I'd hate fer ther two of ye ter think thet I'm playin' fast an' loose
with ye. I'd hate ter think hit myself. Hit hain't thet--I was raised
up a boy--I thought I'd always stay thet-a-way. Then I found I
couldn't."

"Yes, I knows thet, Alexander. Thar hain't no censure fer ye es ter
thet."

"Mebby thar ought ter be though. But ye sees hit's kinderly like I was
livin' in a new world--an' I don't know hit well yit. I've got ter go
slow. I hain't made up my mind an' then changed hit--I hain't blowed
hot an' cold. Hit's jest thet I hain't been able ter come ter no
conclusion one way ner t'other."

She had spoken with a defensive tone, one hardly certain, but as she
finished a prideful note crept into her voice. "But when I does
decide, I decides fer all time an' ther man I weds with kin trust me."

CHAPTER XVIII

Jerry bade Alexander farewell after depositing her parcel by the
threadbare seat of the battered day coach which was to carry her to
Perry Center, but as he said good-by, he was, for once, acting without
candor. He meant to go to Perry Center too, bu