g hoe--and he entered the
kitchen from the inner door just in time to catch the words.

He leaped and struck in one movement, and it carried the tramp and
himself outside on the grass of the drying yard. The tramp was a burly
man, and after the surprise of the attack he attempted to fight. He
might as well have battled with a locomotive going full speed.

"What you doin' way up here, you lousy loafer?" demanded Wes between
blows. "Get to hell out of here before I kill you, like you deserve,
comin' into my house and scarin' women. I've a great mind to get my
gun and blow you full of holes."

In two minutes the tramp was running full speed toward the road,
followed by Wes, who assisted his flight with kicks whenever he could
reach him. After twenty minutes or so the victor came back. His eyes
were red with rage that possessed him. He did not stop to speak, but
hurried out his rackety little car and was gone. Later they found out
he had overtaken the tramp, fought him again, knocked him out, and
then, roping him, had taken him to the nearest constable and seen him
committed to jail.

But the encounter left him strange and silent for a week, and his Dean
mark twitched and leaped in triumph. During that time the only notice
he took of Annie was to teach her to use his rifle.

"Another tramp comes round, shoot him," he commanded.

"En in de meantime," counselled Aunt Dolcey, "it'll come in mighty
handy fer you to kill off some deseyer chicken hawks what makin' so
free wid our nex' crap br'ilers."

But beyond the learning how to use the gun Annie had learned something
more: she added it to her knowledge that Aunt Dolcey had once outfaced
that tyrant. It was this--that Wes's rage was the same, whether the
cause of it was real or imaginary.

* * * * *

The advancing summer, with its sultriness, its sudden evening storms
shot through with flaming lightning and reverberant with the drums of
thunder, brought to Annie a cessation of her purpose. She was languid,
subject to whimsical desires and appetites, at times a prey to sudden
nervous tears. The household work slipped back into Aunt Dolcey's
faithful hands, save now and then when Annie felt more buoyant and
instinct with life and energy than she had ever felt before. Then she
would weed her garden or churn and print a dozen rolls of butter with
a keen and vivid delight in her activity.

In the evening she and Wes walked down the long la