y so long. The road home was very attractive by day,
with its over-hanging branches and streams of clear water, but it was
dark and rather desolate at night. Still they would not start
immediately. She would like to look at the old spring at the foot of
the hill; history bubbled in its water; her grandfather had camped
there. They walked down to the spring and seated themselves on the
rocks. The men who had come down to "swap" saddles and lies, got up
and moved away.

"Mr. Lyman," said Eva, sitting with her hands full of leaves and
wild-flowers, and glancing down at them, "we were very sorry to hear
that the White Caps had called on you."

"I wasn't expecting them," Lyman replied, "but I made them feel at
home."

Mrs. McElwin looked at him with a cool smile. "Yes," she said, "for
home probably means a fight with most of them. It was an outrage and
everybody is glad that you sent them off with broken heads. Of course
there has been a great deal of talk, but have you any idea as to who
lead the party?"

"Not the slightest," Lyman answered, and the girl looked up at him.

"Some one has been mean enough, so a very dear friend told us, to
insinuate that--that father knew of it in time to have prevented it,"
she said.

"Eva, why should you mention such a thing. Mr. Lyman couldn't give it
credence, even for a moment." She frowned.

"Mr. McElwin was kind enough to come to me the next morning," said
Lyman. "He was very much moved, and I feel that if he could he would
have the ruffians punished."

"I thank you for saying that, Mr. Lyman," Mrs. McElwin spoke up. "I
know he would." She glanced about and appeared to be nervous under the
gaze of the people on the hill. "I don't know what they think of us
three sitting here together," she said. "People out here are
peculiar."

"Let them think," the girl replied.

Lyman looked down and saw her shapely foot on the rock. The light was
strong where she sat, and he noticed a freckle on her cheek, and this
slight blemish drew her closer to him.

"But we must respect their thoughts," the mother replied.

"We should not put ourselves out on account of their prejudices,"
Lyman was bold enough to remark. The girl smiled at him.

"Perhaps not," Mrs. McElwin weakly agreed.

"Perhaps not!" Eva repeated. "Mother, you don't seem to think that I
am just as human as any of those girls up there, that I have
practically the same feelings. But I am, and I am not a bit better
than they