of mystified
discouragement, in which the Cross-roads seemed to have lost him in a
vague and distant darkness, life had seemed to begin again. Nobody was
sufficiently analytical of mind to realise in what measure big Tom
D'Willerby had been the centre of the community, which was scattered over
miles of mountain road and wood and clearing. But when he had disappeared
many things seemed to melt away with him. In fact, a large, shrewd
humanity was missing.

"I'll be doggered," had been a remark of Mr. Doty's in the autumn, "ef
crops hes done es well sence he went."

There had been endless talk of the villanous tendencies of Government
officials, and of the tricks played whose end was to defraud honest and
long-suffering claimants of their rights. There had even been dark hours
when it had seemed possible that the vitiating effect of Washington life
might cause deterioration in the character of even the most upright.
Could Tom himself stand it, and what would be its effect on Sheba?

But when the outlook was the most inauspicious, Fortune's wheel had swept
round once and all was changed.

A letter brought the news--a simple enough letter from Tom himself. The
claim was won. They were coming back to Hamlin County, he and Sheba and
Rupert De Willoughby. Sheba and Rupert were to be married and spend the
first weeks of their honeymoon on the side of the mountain which had
enclosed the world the child Sheba had first known.

On this particular day every man and woman who had known and played with
her appeared at the Cross-roads. There had not been a large number of
them perhaps, but gathered together at and about the Post-office and
about the house and garden, they formed a crowd, as crowds are counted in
scattered communities. They embodied excitement enough to have
exhilarated a much larger body of people. Half a dozen women had been
helping Aunt Mornin for days. The house wore a gala air, and the cellar
was stored with offerings of cake and home-made luxuries. The garden was
a mass of radiant scented bloom of spring. Mis' Doty sat at the open
window of the kitchen and, looking out on nodding daffodils,
apple-blossom, and pink peach-flower warmed in the sun, actually chuckled
as she joyfully sniffled the air.

"The way them things smells," she said, "an' the hummin' o' them bees
goin' about as ef the world hadn't nothin' but flowers an' honey in it,
seems like it was all jest got up for them two young uns. Lordy, I do