him and how
the two had always been together ever since. Through the door of the
kitchen, Chad could see the old mother with her crane and pots and
cooking-pans; outside, he could hear the moo of the old brindle, the
bleat of her calf, the nicker of a horse, one lusty sheep-call, and the
hungry bellow of young cattle at the barn, where Tall Tom was feeding
the stock. Presently Rube stamped in with a back log and Dolph came
through with a milk-pail.

"I can milk," said Chad, eagerly, and Dolph laughed.

"All right, I'll give ye a chance," he said, and old Joel looked
pleased, for it was plain that the little stranger was not going to be
a drone in the household, and, taking his pipe from his mouth but
without turning his head, he called out:

"Git up thar, Melissy."

Getting no answer, he looked around to find Melissa standing at the
foot of the bed.

"Come here to the fire, little gal, nobody's agoin to eat ye."

Melissa came forward, twisting her hands in front of her, and stood,
rubbing one bare foot over the other on the hearth-stones. She turned
her face with a blush when Chad suddenly looked at her, and,
thereafter, the little man gazed steadily into the fire in order to
embarrass her no more.

With the breaking of light over the mountain, breakfast was over and
the work of the day began. Tom was off to help a neighbor "snake" logs
down the mountain and into Kingdom Come, where they would be "rafted"
and floated on down the river to the capital--if a summer tide should
come--to be turned into fine houses for the people of the Bluegrass.
Dolph and Rube disappeared at old Joel's order to "go meet them sheep."
Melissa helped her mother clear away the table and wash the dishes; and
Chad, out of the tail of his eye, saw her surreptitiously feeding
greedy Jack, while old Joel still sat by the fire, smoking silently.
Chad stepped outside. The air was chill, but the mists were rising and
a long band of rich, warm light lay over a sloping spur up the river,
and where this met the blue morning shadows, the dew was beginning to
drip and to sparkle. Chad could nor stand inaction long, and his eye
lighted up when he heard a great bleating at the foot of the spur and
the shouts of men and boys. Just then the old mother called from the
rear of the cabin.

"Joel, them sheep air comin'!"

The big form of the old hunter filled the doorway and Jack bounded out
between his legs, while little Melissa appeared with two books