HAPTER VIII

ALONG THE TRAIL

Betty's knock had to be repeated twice before the occupant of the cabin
responded.

"Knock harder, Betty, if----" Mollie was beginning when the door opened
at last and a very strange person stood upon the threshold. Tall, with
stooped shoulders and a head bent a little as though he had spent
countless hours over his violin, with long, curly hair, and with the
visioned eyes of the musician, the man was a figure that would have made
people turn to stare at him anywhere.

"I--we--we are very sorry to trouble you," said Betty hesitatingly, as
the musician made no effort to break the silence. "But it is raining
hard, as you see, and we thought----"

The man started and frowned.

"Ah yes, of course," he said, moving aside and motioning them into the
room. "You will find shelter here, but very little else, I fear."

As the girls entered rather hesitantly the man turned from them
abruptly and, lifting the violin that lay upon the rough board table, he
began with the utmost gentleness to put it in its case. The girls had
the rather uncomfortable impression that the man was forcing himself to
be polite to them--that if he had been any other than a gentleman he
would have refused them admittance.

They looked uneasily at each other and then toward the one window in the
room, and one thought was in the minds of all of them--to escape from
the enforced hospitality of this man.

"I think the rain is letting up a little," said Grace softly.

"I reckon we won't have to stay more than a few minutes," agreed Betty,
then, as their long-haired host put down his case and turned toward
them, she ventured a shy compliment.

"We heard you playing as we came along," she said. "It was very
wonderful."

"Thank you," said the man gruffly, and turned away so abruptly that
Betty felt as if some one had struck her.

Mollie looked indignant and Amy put an arm about Betty as she whispered:

"The rain has nearly stopped, honey. Don't you think we had better go?"

So, with half-hearted expressions of thanks from the girls and no
expression of regret at all from the man, the new acquaintances parted,
the girls hurrying down the dripping path to where their horses were
tethered.

Once Mollie looked back toward the cabin, and her indignation burst
forth.

"Look, he could hardly wait for us to get outside to shut the door," she
said. "Of all the ill-mannered----"

"Oh, I don't think he meant to be ill-m