are incredulous. Taulbee
said this evening (Nucky being at the jail),

"Of course he never meant it,--a hero like Blant to give up his life, or
his freedom, or his land, for the lack of a shot? No, I'll bound you he
said it to throw dust in their eyes so's they won't look for him to
escape. If Blant could get his fingers on a forty-five, they'd soon see
whether he'd shoot!"

_Friday._

Excited groups dot the school-yard and cottage-grounds every recess and
playtime, and cries of "No inchin's!", "My taw!", "Pickin's on me!", "No
back-killin's!", "I beat, but you git the goes!" fill the air. Marbles
is such a quiet and genteel game, comparatively speaking, and with so
much less menace to life and limb than preceding ones, that I encourage
and forward it in every way, and sincerely hope it will last out the
term. The boys seem most unfortunate, however, about losing their
marbles, and are constantly asking for extra work in order to buy more.
I have already given Jason money to buy half a dozen sets.

_Saturday Night._

This afternoon, after the arduous labors of the day, and an hour of
play, Philip was sitting on the back cottage-steps eating a huge chunk
of "sugar-tree-sugar" he had just bought in the village, the other boys
leaving their marbles and gathering about him like flies as he drew
forth the great, sticky lump, though with but faint hope in their eyes.
Sure enough, he made no motion to break it up or pass it around
(Taulbee, with whom he usually shares, is at home for the week-end). So
Philip sat and licked and crunched in solitary state. Just at this
juncture, four of the wash-girls, including Dilsey, suddenly appeared
round the corner of the house, on some unexpected errand. Dilsey stopped
in her tracks, and took in the situation. Then walking on, she remarked
casually to the peach-tree, "I'd sooner die as to marry a greedy man!"

Flushed and angry, Philip sprang to his feet. "You needn't talk,
missy,--I give you more'n I kep',--more'n you could eat!"

"Yes, and I give very near all of mine to the girls; but you haint never
give them boys nary grain of your'n, that I can see!"

Philip wavered a bare instant, then, "'Cause I haint had time yet," he
said, "I was just a-fixing to break it up with this-here rock, and give
'em some."

"Well, I would, if I was you," murmured Dilsey, with decision, as she
passed on.

As Philip smashed angrily away with the rock, I marvelled at the vast
po