he body of a man hanged by the Vigilance Committee a few hours
before on the regular trail, and to remonstrate with the committee
on the incompatibility of such exhibitions with a maidenly worship of
nature.

"With the whole county to hang a man in," expostulated Joe, "you might
keep clear of Carr's woods."

It is needless to add that the young girls never knew of this act of
violence, or the delicacy that kept them in ignorance of it. Mr. Carr
was too absorbed in business to give heed to what he looked upon as
a convulsion of society as natural as a geological upheaval, and too
prudent to provoke the criticism of his daughters by comment in their
presence.

An equally unexpected confidence, however, took its place. Mr. Carr
having finished his coffee one morning, lingered a moment over his
perfunctory paternal embraces, with the awkwardness of a preoccupied
man endeavoring by the assumption of a lighter interest to veil another
abstraction.

"And what are we doing to-day, Christie?" he asked, as Jessie left the
dining-room.

"Oh, pretty much the usual thing--nothing in particular. If George
Kearney gets the horses from the summit, we're going to ride over to
Indian Spring to picnic. Fairfax--Mr. Munroe--I always forget that man's
real name in this dreadfully familiar country--well, he's coming to
escort us, and take me, I suppose--that is, if Kearney takes Jessie."

"A very nice arrangement," returned her father, with a slight nervous
contraction of the corners of his mouth and eyelids to indicate
mischievousness. "I've no doubt they'll both be here. You know they
usually are--ha! ha! And what about the two Mattinglys and Philip
Kearney, eh?" he continued; "won't they be jealous?"

"It isn't their turn," said Christie carelessly; "besides, they'll
probably be there."

"And I suppose they're beginning to be resigned," said Carr, smiling.

"What on earth are you talking of, father?"

She turned her clear brown eyes upon him, and was regarding him with
such manifest unconsciousness of the drift of his speech, and, withal,
a little vague impatience of his archness, that Mr. Carr was feebly
alarmed. It had the effect of banishing his assumed playfulness, which
made his serious explanation the more irritating.

"Well, I rather thought that--that young Kearney was paying considerable
attention to--to--to Jessie," replied her father, with hesitating
gravity.

"What! that boy?"

"Young Kearney is one of the or