as the most of 'em reads it. The most of
'em reads it so as to make you do the things you don't want to do, and
what they want you to do. A good many of 'em think it was writ fur them
ag'in you. Findin' new picturs on the moon, Jim? I don't see nuthin'
new; same old feller a burnin' of his bresh, allus a puttin' 'em on the
fire an' never gittin' through."

"I'm thinking, that's all, Uncle Jasper."

"Comes from readin' them books up on the hill-top, I reckon. They make
me think, too, when I git a holt of 'em, 'specially them about the
war--looks like it's a mighty hard matter for a man to tell the truth
the minit he grabs holt of a pen. Don't see why a pen is such a liar,
but it is. And yit, the biggist liar I ever seed couldn't more than
write his name. What do you think of them folks in thar, Jim?"

Jim strode off, came back and standing with one hand resting on the rail
fence that surrounded the old man's door yard, hung his head and
replied: "Old Satan sometimes puts good clothes on his temptations,
Uncle Jasper."

"Why, you don't think that young feller's a nosin' round to--"

"I don't see anything mysterious in him, Uncle Jasper. It's the woman
that--that strikes so hard."

"Huh. I didn't think you cared anythin' about women, Jim."

"Oh, I don't and you musn't think I do. Did you ever have a feller catch
a spear out of the sun with a lookin' glass and shoot it through yo'
eyes? That's the way she done me, as she was a standing there at the
door."

"Wall, as game a feller as you are ain't afeared of a woman."

"I don't know about that. The gamer a feller is among men the fearder he
is among women, it seems like. But what am I talking about? She won't
take any notice of me and in fact it won't make any difference if she
does. I tell you, though, I don't like to be treated that way by a
woman."

"Why, how did she treat you?"

"Looked something at me that made me dissatisfied with myself. I reckon
I must be a good deal of a fool, Uncle Jasper."

"Wall, I don't reckon you are as smart as old Henry Clay was. Still you
ain't no slouch. Come on in and I'll give you a knockin' down to her.
She can't no mo' than hit you with somethin'."

When introduced Jim shied off into a corner and there during the evening
he remained, gazing at the woman from "off yander," with scarcely
courage enough to utter a word. Mrs. Mayfield inquired as to his church
among the hills, and his countenance flared with a silly light a