hen you can settle yours." He had seated
himself in a chair, but he got up, shook himself, and walked around the
room nervously. The lithograph of a popular burlesque actress stared
brazenly at him from the mantelpiece. He took this remarkable work of
art, folded it across the middle, and threw it into the grate. "I've
had more trouble than enough," he went on, "and if I hadn't met you
to-day I intended to hunt you up to-morrow."

"In Atlanty?"

"No; on Hog Mountain. Oh, I know the risk," Woodward exclaimed,
misinterpreting Teague's look of surprise. "I know all about that, but
I was going just the same. Has Miss Sis ever married?" he asked,
stopping before Teague and blushing like a girl. "Not less'n it
happened sence last We'n'sday, an' that hain't noways likely," replied
the other, with more interest than he had yet shown. Woodward's
embarrassment was more impressive than his words.

"I hardly know how to say it," he continued, "but what I wanted to ask
you was this: Suppose I should go up to Hog Mountain some fine morning,
and call on you, and say, as the fellow did in the song, 'Old man, old
man, give me your daughter,' and you should reply, 'Go upstairs and
take her if you want to,' what do you suppose the daughter would say?"

Woodward tried in vain to give an air of banter to his words. Teague
leaned forward with his hands upon his knees.

"Do you mean, would Sis marry you?" he asked.

"That is just exactly what I mean," Woodward replied.

The old mountaineer rose and stretched himself, and drew a deep sigh of
relief. His horrible suspicion had no foundation. He need not fly to
the mountains with Woodward's blood upon his hands.

"Lemme tell you the honest truth, Cap," he said, placing his hand
kindly on the young man's shoulder. "I might 'low she would, an' I
might 'low she wouldn't; but I'm erbleege to tell you that I dunno
nothin' 'bout that chil' no more'n ef I hadn't a-never seed 'er. Wimmin
is mighty kuse."

"Yes," said Woodward, "they are curious."

"Some days they er gwine rippitin' aroun' like the woods wuz afire, an'
then ag'in they er mopin' an' a-moonin' like ever' minnit wuz a-gwine
to be the nex'. I bin a-studyin' Sis sence she wan't no bigger'n a
skinned rabbit, an' yit I hain't got to A, B, C, let alone _a_-b ab,
_u_-b ub. When a man lays off for to keep up wi' the wimmiu folks, he
kin thes make up his min' that he'll have to git in a dark corner an'
scratch his head many a time when