throwed yourself
spang in its arms thisaway. As it is, you have put it in a mighty
embarrassing position, and, as you might say, forced it to set up and
take notice, and probably some kind of action,--it may be a couple of
year' sentence to Frankfort, or some such, but certainly there haint
a-going to be no hanging business. I hate to disapp'int your hopes of
dying,--I know you don't take no easement or comfort in nothing else.
But truth is truth. Now my advice to you is, be sensible, brace up, take
some comfort, keep the babe here with you and git yourself sort of tied
on to life again."

Blant's answer was angry and indignant. "May the earth open and swallow
me before I take cheer or comfort in this world from which I have sent
the friend of my bosom, my more than brother! Till I have to, I haint
going to give up the hope of laying down my life for his. If you lied to
me once, you may be lying to me again. Take her, Nucky!"

He attempted to hand over the babe to Nucky; but it was not so easily
accomplished. The process of separating her from him was such a painful
one that he himself was almost unmanned, and again there was not a dry
eye in the jail.

XXV

CHANGE AND GROWTH

_Monday Night.
Mid-February._

It is six weeks since the roads became impassable for wagons, and
already we begin to feel some of the effects of the isolation. Flour,
sugar and coffee have to be very sparingly used. Of course there is
plenty of corn-meal, beans, middling and sorghum, so there is no danger
of starvation.

When Nucky returned this evening from taking the babe home, he came into
my room, and threw himself on the floor. Presently I saw that his body
was shaken with silent sobs. To my entreaties he at last replied,

"Things is terrible there at home,--paw is all wore-out with the
trouble, and all Blant's jobs he has to tend to, like cooking and
minding the babe of nights, and he couldn't get along at all if Uncle
Billy's boys didn't come down and chop wood, and feed the animals, and
such. I ought to be home now tending to things for him; and I'll have to
give up learning and go when crap-time comes. Blant never ought to have
give hisself up,--he ought to have thought about his family, and not
lost his head that way. They'll sure send him to Frankfort on his
trial,--I heared some talk about it last week."

Indeed, it is a pitiable situation, and will be far more so if Blant is
sent to the penitentiary. The