r eyes.

Did she blame Ollie that he had played so poorly his part in the
scene at the mill. No, she told herself over and over again, as
though repeating a lesson; no, Ollie was not to blame, and yet--

She knew that he had spoken truly when he said that there were
things that counted for more than brute strength. But was there
not something more than brute strength in the incident? Was there
not that which lay deeper? something of which the brute strength,
after all, was only an expression? The girl stamped her foot
impatiently, as she exclaimed aloud, "Oh, why did he not TRY to do
something? He should have forced Wash Gibbs to beat him into
insensibility rather than to have submitted so tamely to being
played with."

In the distance she saw the shepherd following his flock down the
mountain, and the old scholar, who always watched the Lookout,
when in the vicinity, for a glimpse of his pupil, waved his hand
in greeting as he moved slowly on after his charges. It was
growing late. Her father, too, would be coming home for his
supper. But as she rose to go, a step on the mountain side above
caught her attention, and, looking up, she saw Pete coming toward
the big rock. Sammy greeted the youth kindly, "I haven't seen Pete
for days and days; where has he been?"

"Pete's been everywhere; an' course I've been with him," replied
the lad with his wide, sweeping gesture. Then throwing himself at
full length at the girl's feet, he said, abruptly, "Pete was here
that night, and God, he was here, too. Couldn't nobody else but
God o' done it. The gun went bang, and a lot more guns went bang,
bang, all along the mountains. And the moonlight things that was a
dancin' quit 'cause they was scared; and that panther it just
doubled up and died. Matt and Ollie wasn't hurted nary a bit. Pete
says it was God done that; He was sure in the hills that night."

Sammy was startled. "Matt and Ollie, a panther? What do you mean,
boy?"

The troubled look shadowed the delicate face, as the lad shook his
head; "Don't mean nothin', Sammy, not me. Nobody can't mean
nothin', can they?"

"But what does Pete mean? Does Pete know about it?"

"Oh, yes, course Pete knows everything. Don't Sammy know 'bout
that night when God was in the hills?" He was eager now, with eyes
wide and face aglow.

"No," said Sammy, "I do not know. Will Pete tell me all about it?"

The strange youth seated himself on the rock, facing the valley
below, saying in a