respect. I must live within the laws of my country even
if I should feel sometimes that they are unjust, and I can never take
even a remote part in the distribution of whiskey in the land I love,"
he concluded earnestly.

At this Mr. Follet fairly shouted in a sudden access of rage. He was
all the more angry for the moment because in the light of Steve's
clear statement he not only felt that Steve was right, but that he
himself was wrong.

"Then leave my house this instant with your contemptible idees about
Kentucky's rights, and don't dare to stop and speak to my wife or my
daughter."

"It is your house, Mr. Follet; I will do just as you say," Steve
replied.

Mr. Follet reiterated shrilly:

"Go on out of my house then, and don't you ever come near it again."

Steve bowed and left, not even stopping to get his travelling bag; in
fact he forgot he had one, and only caught up his hat from the porch
as he passed out.

XVII

FRUITION

Mrs. Follet and Nancy knew that something very exciting was going on
between Mr. Follet and Steve and both were exceedingly anxious. When
silence took the place of heated discussion they could bear it no
longer and went to Mr. Follet's door.

Mrs. Follet had never seen her husband so wrought up before, though he
had always been of an exciteable temperament. She did not dare ask a
question, but busied herself doing little things for his comfort while
Nancy brought in his supper, which he had not wanted earlier and still
querulously refused to touch.

A terrible silence settled upon them all. Nancy sat on the porch in
distressed wonder over what had happened between her father and Steve,
while Mrs. Follet, equally anxious, sat silently by the bed of the
restless man. She proposed to get a neighbour to go for the doctor,
but Mr. Follet wouldn't hear of it. Hours passed by and then Mr.
Follet suddenly started up in bed.

"My God," he cried wildly, "they'll kill him!"

"Who?" cried his wife, starting up also, while Nancy's white face at
once appeared in the door.

"Why, Steve," screamed Mr. Follet. "He's gone, and I don't doubt he
went straight to old man Greely's for the night. If he did, he's cut
across the woods and run into some moonshiners. They'll take him for a
government man and shoot him soon's they lay eyes on him!"

He paused for breath, and Mrs. Follet and Nancy were too appalled to
speak.

"Do something," screamed Mr. Follet; "I can't have the boy's blood