u got a litter of pups around here
somewheres, and a couple hens I can buy? I'm lookin' fer a dog, and
things."

"Yard's full of pups, man. If you want one help yourself. But hens,
now----"

"Sell me two or three hens and a rooster or so. I promised I'd take
'em home, and I plumb forgot."

Pop Bentley threw up his hands at his feckless neighbor. "You'd better
be getting a _place_ fer your hens and dogs, seems like."

Sim put a forefinger to his puckered lip. "I don't know as I want to
take more'n about one pup now, and three or four hens. I'll fix up the
price with you sometime. Yes, I got to be getting home now."

The mail carrier, the postmaster and Sim's friend looked at one another
as these details went forward.

"Well," said Pop Bentley, shrugging his bent shoulders, "if you would
go away and leave a woman alone in a place like that----"

"What do you mean?" said Sim Gage suddenly.

"Why, that woman ain't _there_ no more, you fool. She's gone!"

"Gone? What do you mean?"

"Whoever set fire to your place took her away, or else she's got lost
somewheres."

"Gone?" said Sim Gage. "Blind! You, Wid!"--he turned upon his friend
half-savagely--"you was talking to me about acts of Providence. There
ain't no such thing as Providence if this here's true. Come on--I got
to get home."

They did start home, at a gallop, Sim half unconscious of what he did,
carrying in his arm an excited puppy, impetuously licking his new
master's hands and face. In the bottom of the wagon lay a disregarded
sack with a half-dozen fowl, their heads protruding through holes cut
for that purpose. Sim never knew how or when they got into the wagon.

At the next gate, that of Nels Jensen's homestead, Sim's neighbor
below, the woman of the place came running. "You heard about
it?--You're all burned out, both of you."

"Yes, we know," said Wid, nodding. "Tell Nels to come on up to Sim's
place early in the morning. We're going to get the neighbors
together." Again the tired team was forced into a dull gallop.

They had not far to go. A turn of the road freed them of the screen of
willows. There lay before them in the evening light, long prolonged at
this season in that latitude, that portion of the valley which these
two neighbors owned. For a moment they sat silent.

"Mine's gone," said Wid succinctly. "Not a thing left."

Sim sat clasping the puppy in his arms as he turned to look at his own
homestead.