nd that belongs to my
family," said Dick. "My name is Mason, Richard Mason, and I live near
Pendleton, which is something like a hundred miles from here."

He deemed it best to give his right name, as it would have no
significance there.

"You must have seen armies," persisted the man, "or you wouldn't hev
knowed 'bout so many boys of fifteen or sixteen bein' in them."

"I saw both the Federal and Confederate armies in Eastern Kentucky. My
business took me near them, but I was always glad to get away from them,
too."

"I heard tell today that there was a big battle."

"You heard right. It was fought near a little place called Mill Spring,
and resulted in a complete victory for the Northern forces under General
Thomas."

"That was what I heard. It will be good news to some, an' bad news to
others. 'Pears to me, Mr. Mason, that you can't fight a battle that will
suit everybody."

"I never heard of one that did."

"An' never will, I reckon. Mighty good hoss that you're ridin'. I never
seed one with better shoulders. My name's Leffingwell, Seth Leffingwell,
an' I live here alone, 'ceptin' my old woman, Mandy. All we ask of
people is to let us be. Lots of us in the mountain feel that way. Let
them lowlanders shoot one another up ez long ez they please, but up here
there ain't no slaves, an' there ain't nothin' else to fight about."

The stable was a good one, better than usual in that country. Dick saw
stalls for four horses, but no horses. They put his own horse in one
of the stalls, and gave him corn and hay. Then they walked back to the
house, and entered a large room, where a stalwart woman of middle age
had just finished cooking supper.

"Whew, but the night's goin' to be cold," said Leffingwell, as he shut
the door behind them, and cut off an icy blast. "It'll make the fire
an' supper all the better. We're just plain mountain people, but you're
welcome to the best we have. Ma, this is Mr. Mason, who has been on
lan' business in the mountains, an' is back on his way to his home at
Pendleton."

Leffingwell's wife, a powerful woman, as large as her husband, and with
a pleasant face, gave Dick a large hand and a friendly grasp.

"It's a good night to be indoors," she said. "Supper's ready, Seth. Will
you an' the stranger set?"

She had placed the pine table in the middle of the room, and Dick
noticed that it was large enough for five or six persons. He put his
saddle bags and blankets in a corner and he an