e tellin' her how
she'd git rich ef she could find a gol' mind, an' how she could buy
her some fine clos' like yourn, an' go to the city to live like the
folks in the pitchers. Mr. Bethune, he's done found minds. He's rich.
An' he's got manners, too. Watts, he's allus makin' light of
manners--says they don't 'mount to nawthin'. But thet's 'cause he
hain't quality. Quality's got 'em, an' they're nice to hev."

"Gre't sight o' quality--him," growled Watts. "He's part Injun."

"Hit don't make no diff'ence what he's part!" defended the woman.
"He's rich, an' he's purty lookin', an' he's got manners like I done
tol' yo'. Ef I wus you I'd marry up with him, an----"

"Why, Mrs. Watts! What do you mean?" exclaimed the girl flushing with
annoyance.

"Jest what I be'n aimin' to tell yo' fer hit's goin' on quite a spell.
Yo'n him 'ud step hit off right pert. Yo' pretty, an' yo' rich, er yo'
will be when yo' find yo' pa's mind, an' yo' manners is most as good
as his'n."

The humor of the mountain woman's serious effort at match-making
struck Patty, and she interrupted with a laugh: "There are several
objections to that arrangement," she hastened to say. "In the first
place Mr. Bethune has never asked me to marry him. He may have serious
objections, and as for me, I'm not ready to even think of marrying."

"Don't take long to git ready, onct yo' git in the notion. An' I bet
Mr. Bethune hain't abuzzin' 'round up an' down this yere crick fer
nawthin'. Law sakes, child, when I tuk a notion to take Watts, come a
supper time I wusn't no more a mind to git married than yo' be, an',
by cracky! come moonrise me an' Watts had forked one o' pa's mewels
with nothin' on but a rope halter, an' wus headin' down the branch
with pa an' my brother Lafe a-cuttin' through the lau'ls with their
rifle-guns fer to head us off."

"Yo' didn't take me fer looks ner manners, neither," reminded Watts.

"Law, I'd a be'n single yet, ef I hed. No sir, I tuk yo' to save a
sight o' killin' that's what I done. Yo' see, Miss, my pa wus sot on
me not marryin' no Watts--not that I aimed to, 'til he says I dasn't.
But Watts hed be'n a pesterin' 'round right smart, nights, an' pa
lowed he'd shore kill him daid ef he didn't mind his own
business--so'd my brothers, they wus five of 'em, an' nary one that
wusn't mighty handy with his rifle-gun.

"So Watts, he quit a-comin' to the cabin, but me an' him made hit up
thet he'd hide out on t'other side o' the branch