ther painful to you to have him here for some
reasons, but--"

"You mean Cynthy? Well! I guess when Cynthy can't get along with the
sight of Jeff Durgin, she'll be a different girl from what she's ever
been before. If she's got to see that skunk ag'in, I guess this is about
the best time to do it."

It was Westover who drove to meet Jeff at the station, when he got his
despatch, naming the train he would take, and he found him looking very
well, and perhaps stouter than he had been.

They left the station in silence, after their greeting and Jeff's
inquiries about Jackson. Jeff had taken the reins, and now he put them
with the whip in one hand, and pushed up his hat with the other, and
turned his face full upon Westover. "Notice anything in particular?" he
demanded.

"No; yes--some slight marks."

"I guess that fellow fixed me up pretty well: paints black eyes, and
that kind of thing. I got to scrapping with a man, Class Day; we wanted
to settle a little business we began at the Tree, and he left his marks
on me. I meant to tell you the truth as soon as I could get at you; but
I had to say erysipelas in my letter. I guess, if you don't mind, we'll
let erysipelas stand, with the rest."

"I shouldn't have cared," Westover said, "if you'd let it stand with
me."

"Oh, thank you," Jeff returned.

There could have been no show of affection at his meeting with Jackson
even if there had been any fact of it; that was not the law of their
life. But Jeff had always been a turbulent, rebellious, younger
brother, resentful of Jackson's control, too much his junior to have the
associations of an equal companionship in the past, and yet too near him
in age to have anything like a filial regard for him. They shook hands,
and each asked the other how he was, and then they seemed to have
done with each other. Jeff's mother kissed him in addition to the
handshaking, but made him feel her preoccupation with Jackson; she asked
him if he had hurried home on Jackson's account, and he promptly lied
her out of this anxiety.

He shook hands with Cynthia, too, but it was across the barrier which
had not been lowered between them since they parted. He spoke to Jackson
about her, the day after he came home, when Jackson said he was feeling
unusually strong and well, and the two brothers had strolled out through
the orchard together. Now and then he gave the sick man his arm, and
when he wanted to sit down in a sunny place he spread the