ave kissed me as Carrie's father does.
But I suppose it would be too soon to expect kisses."

"Tabitha, have you gone to bed?" It was Aunt Maria's voice nervous and
shaking.

"Not yet. What's the matter?" she asked.

"I thought maybe you would just as soon sleep in Tom's room tonight.
There's a band of gypsies camping a little way up the road, and I don't
like the idea of us two women folks being left alone all night. I tried
to get Max to stay until morning, but he said he couldn't make
connections if he did. I don't suppose there is anything to be afraid
of, but this is our first night without a man in the house, and I am as
nervous as a witch." This was a long speech for Aunt Maria, but she had
a bad attack of the fidgets, and found relief in words.

Tabitha had forgotten that her father's departure would mean she and
Aunt Maria must stay alone on the desert, for Tom had gone away to
college ten days before; and now at her aunt's words she felt a little
tremor of fear pass over her. She had never quite outgrown the feeling
of oppression these black nights on the desert gave her, for the hills
shut out the lights of town, and Carson's house was the only tenanted
one near them. Somewhere she had heard that a man had died in the other
little cottage in their neighborhood which had stood vacant ever since
their arrival at Silver Bow, and it was even hinted that his ghost had
come back to haunt it. True, she had never seen anything to warrant her
believing these stories, but she stood in awful dread of that house
beyond them; so she was only too glad for her aunt's suggestion that she
sleep in Tom's bed.

Trying to put these things out of her mind and to think of more cheerful
subjects, she gathered up her belongings, and crept into the little
box-like room, hardly big enough to turn around in, saying in reassuring
tones to Aunt Maria,

"Of course there is nothing to be afraid of. Those campers aren't
gypsies, but a lot of prospectors, and I think they moved on after they
had cooked supper. At least, I saw them going towards town, horses and
all. I reckon they had to lay in some more supplies and so camped near
the stores to get an early start in the morning."

"Well, I wish there was a man in the house. I never did like to stay
alone at night, and this desert is the blackest place I ever got into. I
don't believe I shall ever get used to it."

"You aren't alone. I'm here, and I'm past twelve. There isn't anythin