ckage which she tore open and
from which she produced the butt of a cypress sapling.

"I tried to tell you about this last night," she whispered hurriedly,
"but you wouldn't let me get anywhere near you. There! See where the
carpenter sawed it off! There's no little black ring on that end at
all!"

Sube took the stick into his hands mumbling dazedly, "Well, what do you
know about that!"

Instinctively his gaze went to the other end, which he had hacked off
with the ax, and on which he saw something that he hastened to cover
with his hand. At this moment Mrs. Cane reentered the room; but she saw
nothing of the stick, nor did she notice the deformity of Sube's left
side, which was plainly visible through his jacket.

Nancy at once stood up, and after a fitting exchange of holiday
sentiment, announced that she was on her way to slide down hill, and
took her departure. But she could not by any possibility have more than
reached the gate when Sube threw into the furnace the only existing
evidence of his guilt; and as he watched it turn into uncommunicative
ashes he muttered to himself, "Nance is _all right_! But if they ever
catch me tellin' the truth again--they'll _know_ it! Here I got to stay
in the house all day when I might jus' well be slidin' down hill."

He stood and gazed at the glowing coals long after the piece of wood had
been consumed, and as he gazed, he wondered.

"Would Nance 'ave done as much for Biscuit Westfall?" he asked himself.

He didn't believe she would. And he was right.

THE END

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