nd upon his shoulder. The movement was absolutely pacific, but the
fingers closed with a viselike grip, and there was so sharp a backward
jerk that the proffered salute was not delivered.

In the surprise of the moment Judith pulled herself free and stood at
bay. For an instant the two men looked into each other's eyes. Creed's
blue orbs were calm, impersonal, and without one hint of yielding or
fear.

"If you don't play fair," he said in argumentative tone, "there's no use
playing at all. Let's close up the ring and try it again."

All eyes in the room turned to Blatchley Turrentine, the women in a
flutter of terrified apprehension, the men with a brightening of
interest; surely he would resent this interference in some notable
manner. But Blatch was in fact too deadly to be merely high-tempered,
quick in anger. For a moment he stared at Bonbright, trying to look him
down; then those odd, whitey-grey eyes narrowed to mere slits. He laid
the matter up in his mind; this was not the time for settling it--here
before Judith Barrier and the women. He did not mean to content himself
with mere fisticuffs, or even a chance pocket-knife which might double in
his grasp and cut his own hand. To the immense surprise of everybody he
stretched out his long arms, caught carelessly at the fingers of a player
on either side of him, and, mending the line, began to move in rhythmic
time to the fiddle.

It was soon observable that Creed Bonbright's presence caused Huldah
Spiller's spirits to mount several notes in the octave. Whether it was
that her own betrothed was looking on, and this an excellent chance to
show him that even the town feller felt her charm, or merely Creed's
personal attractions could hardly be guessed.

"Come on," she cried recklessly, "let's play 'Over the River to Feed my
Sheep.' Strike up the tune, Wade."

The game she mentioned was also a forfeit play, with the difference that
the kiss was more certain, being taken of mere choice--though delivered,
of course, with due maidenly reluctance and a show of resisting--whenever
the girl facing one could be caught over the line. All the young people
played it; all the elders deprecated it. At the bottom of Judith's heart
lay one reason for making a play-party and bidding Creed Bonbright to it;
and now Huldah Spiller was blatantly calling out the unconfessed, the
unconfessable; Wade was sullenly dropping into the old Scotch air; the
long lines were forming, men oppos