spray glittering in the sunshine--it flung forth continuously
tinkling harmonies in clear crystal tones, so penetrating, so definitely
melodic, that more than once, as he paced along on his jaded horse,
he heard in their midst, without disassociating the sounds, the _ping,
pang, ping, pang_, of the violin he so condemned. He drew up at last,
and strained his ear to listen. It did not become more distinct, always
intermingled with the recurrent rhythm of the falling water, but always
vibrating in subdued throbbings, now more acute, now less, as the
undiscriminated melody ascended or descended the scale. It came from the
earth, of this he was sure, and thus he was reminded anew of the caves
which Hide-and-Seek Creek threaded in its long course. There was some
opening near by, doubtless, that led to subterranean passages, dry
enough here, since it was the stream's whim to flow in the open sunshine
instead of underground. He would have given much to search for it had he
dared. His leathery, lean, loose cheek had a glow of excitement upon it;
his small eyes glistened; for the first time in his life, possibly, he
looked young. But he did not doubt that this was the stronghold of the
illicit distillers, of whom one heard so much in the Cove and saw so
little. A lapse of caution, an inconsiderate movement, and he might be
captured and dealt with as a spy and informer.

Nevertheless his discovery was of scant value unless he utilized it
further. He had always believed that his nephew had fled to the secret
haunts of the moonshiners. Now he only knew it the more surely; and what
did this avail him, and how aid in the capture of the recusant clerk and
assistant postmaster? He hesitated a moment; then fixing the spot in his
mind by the falling of a broad crystal sheet of water from a ledge
some forty feet high, by a rotting log at its base that seemed to
rise continually, although the moving cataract appeared motionless,
by certain trees and their relative position, and the blue peaks on a
distant skyey background of a faint cameo yellow, he slowly turned
his horse's rein and took his way out of danger. It was chiefly some
demonstration on the animal's part that he had feared. A snort, a
hoof-beat, a whinny would betray him, and very liable was the animal to
any of these expressions. One realizes how unnecessary is speech for the
exposition of opinion when brought into contradictory relations with
the horse which one rides or drive