on of old Bras?"

Ralph assented, when the shock headed man called to his wife, who was
sifting meal for the supper:

"Tildy this must be one of your kin folks." Then, turning to Ralph, "My
wife was a Granger; one of the Gregory branch. Well, tell us all about
yourself. Don't mind the children, they always are in the way, anyhow."

Ralph, finding that he was among friends, related briefly the events of
the day and wound up by again expressing his detestation of the feud.
Mr. Dopples, for that was the shock headed man's name, nodded approval.

"We mountain folks live too much outn the world," said he. "What you
goin' to do?"

"Anything honest, to make a living. I'm not going to stay in these
parts though."

"If you've any notion of goin' down about Columbia, I can direct you to
a friend of mine as lives there. Comes up here every summer to fish
and hunt. Got lots of coin, and is always wantin' me to go down there
and take a regular town spree with him. Oh he's a sight!"

"What is his name? I don't suppose he would care anything about me.
He never heard of me, anyhow."

"Name is Captain Shard; he keeps a big livery stable. You just tell
him you're a friend of mine, and I'll bet my steers agin a coon skin
you're at home straight."

Soon after supper Ralph was shown to his bed in a shed room at the rear
of the house. In the mountains the people go to bed and rise early
from habit.

Before eight o'clock a sound of heavy breathing could be heard from
every room. Under the floor the very dogs were steeped in dreams of
coon and 'possum hunting.

Suddenly Ralph awoke, feeling a pressure on his chest. The room was
not so dark but that he could detect a shadowy figure at the bedside.

A prickly chill ran through his veins, but before he could speak, a
voice whispered:

"Give me your hand," and as the boy dazely obeyed, the pressure on his
chest was removed as another hand was lifted from there, that firmly
grasped his own.

"I can feel your pulse jump; you're skeered, Ralph."

"Wh--who are--you?" faltered Ralph, unable to make out as yet whether
it was a "haant" or a living person that had awakened him thus.

"Don't know me?" There was a titter of nearly noiseless laughter.
"Felt me pressin' your chist, didn't you?"

"Yes. At first I thought I must be stiflin', but----"

"If you want to wake a person 'thout speakin', you press on their
chist. Hit always fetches 'em. Don't you know me yet?"