night I was here again,--the same light twinklin', but no one
about. I reckoned that was mighty queer, and I jess crep' up to the
house an' listened. I heard suthin' like a little cough oncet in a
while, and at times suthin' like a little moan. I didn't durst to sing
out for I knew SHE wouldn't like it, but whistled keerless like, to let
the chillern know I was there. But it didn't seem to take. I was jess
goin' off, when--darn my skin!--if I didn't come across the bucket of
water I'd fetched up from the spring THAT MORNIN', standin' there full,
and NEVER TAKEN IN! When I saw that I reckoned I'd jess wade in, anyhow,
and I knocked. Pooty soon the door was half opened, and I saw her eyes
blazin' at me like them coals. Then SHE 'lowed I'd better 'git up and
git,' and shet the door to! Then I 'lowed she might tell me what was
up--through the door. Then she said, through the door, as how the
chillern lay all sick with that hoss-distemper, diphthery. Then she
'lowed she'd use a doctor ef I'd fetch him. Then she 'lowed again I'd
better take the baby that hadn't ketched it yet along with me, and leave
it where it was safe. Then she passed out the baby through the door all
wrapped up in a blankit like a papoose, and you bet I made tracks with
it. I knowed thar wasn't no good going to the mill, so I let out for
White's, four miles beyond, whar there was White's old mother. I told
her how things were pointin', and she lent me a hoss, and I jess rounded
on Doctor Green at Mountain Jim's, and had him back here afore sun-up!
And then I heard she wilted,--regularly played out, you see,--for she
had it all along wuss than the lot, and never let on or whimpered!"

"It was well you persisted in seeing her that night," I said, watching
the rapt expression of his face. He looked up quickly, became conscious
of my scrutiny, and dropped his eyes again, smiled feebly, and drawing a
circle in the ashes with the broken pipe-stem, said:--

"But SHE didn't like it, though."

I suggested, a little warmly, that if she allowed her father to leave
her alone at night with delicate children, she had no right to choose
WHO should assist her in an emergency. It struck me afterwards that this
was not very complimentary to him, and I added hastily that I wondered
if she expected some young lady to be passing along the trail at
midnight! But this reminded me of Johnson's style of argument, and I
stopped.

"Yes," he said meekly, "and ef she didn't keer