mean by saying such a thing?"

"Oh, I only meant that he's too awfully proper for this life. He goes to
Charleston races, but never backs a horse, scarcely, and one Mint Julep
would make him see two crows. He's a sort of distant relation of ours."

Phyl was silent. She resented his criticism of her friend, and just in
this moment the something mad and harum scarum in the character of Silas
seemed shown up to her with electrical effect. Criticism is a most
dangerous thing to indulge in, unless anonymously in the pages of a
journal, for the right to criticise has to be made good in the mind of the
audience, unless the audience is hostile to the criticised.

Then she said: "I don't know anything about Mint Juleps or race courses,
but I do know that Mr. Pinckney has been--is--is my friend, and I'd rather
not talk about him, if you please."

"Now, you're huffed," cried Silas exultingly, as though he had scored a
point at some game.

"I'm not."

"You are--you've flushed."

Phyl turned pale, a deadly sign.

"I'd never dream of getting out of temper with _you_," said she.

It was his turn to flush. You might have struck Silas Grangerson without
upsetting his balance, but the slightest suspicion of a sneer raised all
the devil in him. Had Phyl been a man he would have knocked him off the
log. He cast the stump of his cigarette on the ground and pounded it with
his heel. Had there been anything breakable within reach he would have
broken it. Her anger with him vanished and she laughed.

"You've flushed now," said she.

CHAPTER III

When they came round to the front of the house they found Colonel
Grangerson and Miss Pinckney coming down the steps.

They were going to the garden in search of Phyl.

"We've been looking at the horses," said Silas, after he had greeted Miss
Pinckney. "No, sir, I did not leave any of the doors open, but I've been
looking for Sam with a blacksnake whip to liven him up. He left the grey
without grooming after she was brought in this morning, and I was rubbing
her down myself when this lady came into the yard."

"I'll skin that nigger," cried the Colonel.

"I reckon I'll save you that trouble, sir," replied the son, as they
turned garden-wards.

Silas had little use for "r's" and said "suh" for "sir" and "wah" for
"war." He was also quite a different person in the presence of his father
from what he was when alone or in the presence of strangers.

In the presence of his fat