-quiet--until we passed in our autos. You see it is impossible
for us to get by on the road, for even if you did get the animals to
one side one might leap out, under the wheels of a car and there
would be an accident."

"I see, miss. The sheep might be killed."

"Yes, and we'd be wrecked," growled Jack. "What's the game, Sis? If we
stay here much longer that dinner will be eaten by some one else."

"Be quiet Jack--please! Now could you not drive your sheep into the
field?" she asked. "Then we could get past. Of course we might turn
around and go back to some other road, but it would delay us. Could you?"

Certainly no mere man could withstand the appealing glance thrown at this
humble sheep herder. He capitulated.

"I guess I could do it, miss. But what if the man who owns this field was
to see me? You see I'm a stranger in these parts--I'm only hired to drive
these sheep to the man that bought them."

"I see. Well, if we gave you a dollar or so, you could give it to the man
who owns that pasture in case he made objection. It would be worth two
dollars to get past."

"More," Jack framed with his lips, but he did not speak aloud, being a
careful and frugal youth.

"The sheep could not eat much grass in the short time you drove them into
the field, kept them there until we got past, and then let 'em out again;
could they?" she asked, with a winning smile.

"No, miss, I guess I can do it. Sheep is queer. They is easily frightened,
and maybe it would be the best way. Why, only last night, when I had
turned 'em into a pasture they near ran off on me."

"Why?" asked Jack, rather idly.

"Well, you see it was this way. I had 'em all settled for the night, a
matter of several miles back, when a woman came running along the road.
She was takin' on somethin' bad, cryin' like, and mutterin' 'Kin I ever
find her? Kin I ever find her?' You see----"

"Was that what she said?" cried Cora excitedly.

"She did, miss!"

"What sort of a woman was she?" With her eyes Cora signalled to Jack to
remain quiet. She knew the girls would.

"Well, I couldn't rightly say, miss, as it was so dark right after the
storm. But before I knew what she was doin' she had come into the pasture
that I hired for the sheep over night, and run toward a hay stack. She
stumbled over a lamb, fell down, the dogs barked, and it took all I could
do to quiet them sheep."

"What became of the woman?" asked Cora, making a motion with her lips to
signi