slaughtered beast. If a fight between two men
occurred in the village Elia's instinct led him unerringly to it. It
was a curious psychological fact that the pains and sufferings which,
for himself, he dreaded with an almost insane abhorrence, he loved and
desired in others.

He was a quaint figure, a figure to draw sympathy and pity from the
hardiest. He was precisely four feet high. One leg was shorter than
the other, and the hip was drawn up in a corresponding manner. His
chest was sunken, and his back was hunched, and he carried his head
bent sideways on his shoulders, in the inquiring attitude one
associates with a bird.

He was his sister's sole charge, left to her, when much younger, by
their dying mother. And the girl lavished on him all the wealth of a
good woman's sympathy and love. She saw nothing of his faults. She saw
only his deplorable physical condition, and his perfect angel-face.
His skin and complexion were so transparent that one could almost have
counted the veins beneath the surface; the sun had no power to burn
that face to the russet which was the general complexion among prairie
folk. His mouth had the innocence of a babe's, and formed a perfect
Cupid's bow, such as a girl might well be proud of. His eyes were
large, inquiring and full of intelligence. His nose might have been
chiseled by an old Greek sculptor, while his hair, long and wavy, was
of the texture and color of raw silk.

He was certainly the idol of Eve's heart. In him she could see no
wrong, no vice. She cherished him, and served him, and worked for him.
He was her life. And, as is only natural, he had learned to claim as
his right all that which out of her boundless affection it was her joy
to bestow.

Suddenly the yelping of the pup brought Eve round on him again. He was
once more holding it aloft by its tail. The girl darted to its rescue,
and, instantly, Elia released his hold, and the poor creature fell
with a squelching sound upon the ground. She gave a little scream, but
the boy only looked on in silent fascination. Fortunately the poor
pup was only badly shaken and hastily crawled away to safety. Elia was
for recovering it, but Eve promptly vetoed his design.

"Certainly not, you cruel boy," she said sharply. "You remain
where you are. You can tell me about the chicken killing down at
Restless's."

In the interest of the subject on which Eve desired information Elia
forgot all about the pup. He offered no protest nor