e
prophetic, where that which was bad was concerned. He saw Will in a
light in which no one else saw him, although already he, Peter, and
Jim had witnessed unpleasant dashes of that side of the man's
character which Elia seemed to read like an open book. However, he
could not abandon his task yet, but he changed his tactics.

"Maybe you're right, laddie," he said. "I was thinking of poor Eve. I
was wondering if you wouldn't like to try and make her happy, seeing
she's always been so good to you. I do believe you'd rather she was
happy."

The boy nodded his head, and an impish light crept into his eyes.

"And you're going to try and make her--happy?"

Peter was smiling with simple eager hope. The impish light deepened in
the boy's eyes.

"Maybe," he said. "Guess I'll do what I ken. When Will treats me fair
I'll treat him fair. I can't do a heap of work, seein' I'm as I am,
but if he wants me to do things I'll do 'em--if he treats me fair.
I'll do what I ken, but I hate him. Maybe you're guessin' that'll be
makin' things fair for Eve. You best guess agin." Then the impish
light left his eyes, and they became quite serious again. "Say, tell
me some more 'bout that gold?"

But Peter laughed and shook his head.

"Time enough, laddie," he said, pleased with the result of his first
essay on behalf of peace between Elia and Will. "You're going to get
that gold when we find it, sure, so come right along and let's get to
work--and find it."

CHAPTER XIII

AFTER ONE YEAR

Scandal was rampant in Barnriff. But it was not of an open nature.
That is to say, it was scandal that passed surreptitiously from lip to
lip, and was rarely spoken where more than two people foregathered.
For small as Barnriff was, ignorant as were the majority of its
people, scandal was generally tabooed, and it was only in bad cases
where it was allowed to riot.

The reason of this restraint was simple enough. It was not that the
people of the village were any different to those of other small
places. They loved gossip as dearly as anybody else--when to gossip
was safe. But years ago Barnriff had learned that gossip was not
always safe in its midst.

The fact was that the peace laws of the place were largely enforced by
a process which might be called the "survival of the strong." There
were no duly authorized peace officers, and the process had evolved
out of this condition of things. Quarrels and bloodshed were by no
means frequent