, a boy
had hid and a girl had wept. A small creaking sound fell upon her ear,
and she made out an ungainly figure approaching, wheeling something of
curious shape.

"Is that you, Sam?" she said.

Mr. Warden stopped, close by. "Yes'm," he replied. "I'm a-gittin' out
de hose to lay de dus' yonnah." He stretched an arm along the
cross-bar of the reel, relaxing himself, apparently, for conversation.
"Y'all done change consid'able, Miss Airil," he continued, with the
directness of one sure of privilege.

"You think so, Sam?"

"Yes'm. Ev'ybody think so, _I_ reckon. Be'n a tai'ble lot o' talkum
'bout you to-day. Dun'no' how all dem oth' young ladies goin' take
it!" He laughed with immoderate delight, yet, as to the volume of mere
sound, discreetly, with an eye to open windows. "You got 'em all beat,
Miss Airil! Dey ain' be'n no one 'roun' dis town evah got in a thousum
mile o' you! Fer looks, an' de way you walk an' ca'y yo'self; an' as
fer de clo'es--name o' de good lan', honey, dey ain' nevah SEE style
befo'! My ole woman say you got mo' fixin's in a minute dan de whole
res' of 'em got in a yeah. She say when she helpin' you onpack she
must 'a' see mo'n a hunerd paihs o' slippahs alone! An' de good Man
knows I 'membuh w'en you runnin' roun' back-yods an' up de alley
rompin' 'ith Joe Louden, same you's a boy!"

"Do you ever see Mr. Louden, nowadays?" she asked.

His laugh was repeated with the same discreet violence. "Ain' I seen
him dis ve'y day, fur up de street at de gate yonnah, stan'in' 'ith
you, w'en I drivin' de Judge?"

"You--you didn't happen to see him anywhere this--this afternoon?"

"No'm, I ain' SEE him." Sam's laughter vanished and his lowered voice
became serious. "I ain' SEE him, but I hearn about him."

"What did you hear?"

"Dey be'n consid'able stir on de aidge o' town, I reckon," he answered,
gravely, "an' dey be'n havin' some trouble out at de Beach--"

"Beaver Beach, do you mean?"

"Yes'm. Dey be'n some shootin' goin' on out dat way."

She sprang forward and caught at his arm without speaking.

"Joe Louden all right," he said, reassuringly. "Ain' nuffum happen to
him! Nigh as I kin mek out f'm de TALK, dat Happy Fear gone on de
ramPAGE ag'in, an' dey hatta sent fer Mist' Louden to come in a hurry."

XIV

WHITE ROSES IN A LAW-OFFICE

As upon a world canopied with storm, hung with mourning purple and
habited in black, did Mr. Flitcroft turn his morning face at ei