t
of the kitchen range, she certainly was not an alluring apparition.
Happily for the lateness of the hour, her loneliness, and the infelix
reputation of the man before her, she was at least a safe one. And I
fear the very consciousness of this scarcely relieved her embarrassment.

"I wanted to say a few words to ye alone, Mr. Hamlin," she began, taking
an unoffered seat on the end of his portmanteau, "or I shouldn't hev
intruded. But it's the only time I can ketch you, or you me; for I'm
down in the kitchen from sunup till now."

She stopped awkwardly, as if to listen to the wind, which was rattling
the windows, and spreading a film of rain against the opaque darkness
without. Then, smoothing her wrapper over her knees, she remarked, as if
opening a desultory conversation, "Thar's a power of rain outside."

Mr. Hamlin's only response to this meteorological observation was a
yawn, and a preliminary tug at his coat as he began to remove it.

"I thought ye couldn't mind doin' me a favor," continued Peg, with a
hard, awkward laugh, "partik'ly seein' ez folks allowed you'd sorter bin
a friend o' mine, and hed stood up for me at times when you hedn't any
partikler call to do it. I hevn't" she continued, looking down on her
lap, and following with her finger and thumb a seam of her gown,--"I
hevn't so many friends ez slings a kind word for me these times that
I disremember them." Her under lip quivered a little here; and, after
vainly hunting for a forgotten handkerchief, she finally lifted the hem
of her gown, wiped her snub nose upon it, but left the tears still in
her eyes as she raised them to the man, Mr. Hamlin, who had by this time
divested himself of his coat, stopped unbuttoning his waistcoat, and
looked at her.

"Like ez not thar'll be high water on the North Fork, ef this rain keeps
on," said Peg, as if apologetically, looking toward the window.

The other rain having ceased, Mr. Hamlin began to unbutton his waistcoat
again.

"I wanted to ask ye a favor about Mr.--about--Jack Folinsbee," began Peg
again hurriedly. "He's ailin' agin, and is mighty low. And he's losin'
a heap o' money here and thar, and mostly to YOU. You cleaned him out of
two thousand dollars last night--all he had."

"Well?" said the gambler coldly.

"Well, I thought ez you woz a friend o' mine, I'd ask ye to let up a
little on him," said Peg, with an affected laugh. "You kin do it. Don't
let him play with ye."

"Mistress Margaret Moff