the boys,
and do his share?"

"My brother disbelieves in the constitutionality of this war, and
denies that we have any right to take away other people's slaves," said
Arabella loftily. "I s'pose he's a right to his opinions."

"A poor excuse's better'n none," retorted Maria. "I noticed that he
didn't turn out last Summer to keep John Morgan from stealing our
people's horses, and robbing their stores and houses. S'pose he thought
it unconstitutional to let a nasty rebel gorilla shoot at him. It's
very convenient to have opinions to keep you from doin' things that
you're afraid to do."

The dialog was approaching the volcanic stage, when a poorly-dressed,
sad-faced woman, with a babe in her arms, edged through the crowd to
Maria, and said timidly, for she had never been accounted by the Kleggs
as in their set:

"Miss Maria, I don't s'pose you know me, but I do so want to git a
chance to speak to your pap as soon as he gets here, and before all
these people gits hold of him. Mebbe he's found out something about poor
Jim. I can't believe that Jim was killed, and I keep hopin' that he got
away somehow, and is in one o' them hospitals. Mebbe your pap knows. I
know you think Jim was bad and rough, but he was mighty good to me,
and he's all that I had. I'm nearly dead to hear about him, but I can't
write, nor kin Jim. I've bin tryin' to make up my mind to come over to
your house, and ax you to write for me."

"Of course, you can, you poor, dear woman," said Maria, her mood
changing at once from fierceness to loving pity. "You shall be the first
one to speak to Pap and Si after me. Why didn't you come over to see
us long ago. We'd only bin too glad to see you, and do all we could for
you. Yes, I know you.

"You're Polly Blagdon, and live down by the sawmill, where your husband
used to work. You look tired and weak carrying that big baby. Let me
hold him awhile and rest you. Sit down there on that box. I'll make Sol
Pringle clear it off for you."

[Illustration: "ARABELLA CURLED HER LIP AT SEEING MARIA TAKE THE BABY."
87]

Arabella curled her nose, at seeing Maria take the unwashed baby in her
arms, to the imminent danger of her best gown, but Maria did not notice
this, and was all loving attention to the baby and its mother.

It seemed an age until the whistle of the locomotive was heard. The
engine had to stop to take water at the creek, several hundred yards
from the station, and Maria's impatience to see Si and