n remarked by Mr. Gibbon in his
immortal work on the _Decline and Fall of Rome_--where he described
the castles of them ancient days, located back in the mountainous
regions. But it ain't no Roman road you've got, out thar."

"I was going to remark," interrupted Judge Clayton, "that Colonel
Dunwody has anticipated all the modern requirements of hospitality
as well as embodied all those of ancient sort. Thank you, I shall
taste your bourbon, Colonel, with gladness. It is a long ride in
from the river; but, following out our friend's thought, why do you
live away back in here, when all your best plantations are down
below? We don't see you twice a year, any more."

"Well," said the owner of Tallwoods, "my father might be better
able to answer that question if he were alive. He built this for a
summer place, and I use it all the year. I found the place here,
and it always seemed too big to move away. We set three meals a
day, even back here in the hills, and there's quite a bunch of
leaves we can put on the table. The only drawback is, we don't see
much company. I'm mighty glad to see you, and I'm going to keep
you here now, until--"

"Until something pops open," remarked the Honorable William, over
the rim of his glass. Dunwody's neighbors nodded also.

Their host looked at them for a moment. "Are you here on any
special errand--but of course there must be something of the sort,
to bring you two gentlemen so close on my trail."

"We met up with these gentlemen down at the river," began Yates,
"and from what they done told us, we thought we'd all better ride
in along together, and have a little talk with you. Looks like
there might be trouble in these parts before long."

"What sort of trouble?"

"It's this-a-way," broke in the Honorable William Jones. "The
jedge an' I laid off at Cairo when you-all went on through. Next
day, along comes a steamer from up-river, an' she's full of
northern men, headed west; a damned sight more like a fightin' army
than so many settlers. They're goin' out into the purairie country
beyant, an' _I_ think it's just on the early-bird principle, to
hold it ag'inst settlers from this state. They're a lot of those
damned black abolitionists, that's what they are! What's more,
that Lily gal of the jedge's here, she's got away agin--she turned
up missin' at Cairo, too--an' she taken up with this bunch of
Yankees, an' is mighty apt to git clar off."

Judge Clayton nodded gr