st gets up, you know; but he grows old mighty fast after he's had
breakfast."

The giant, saying never a word, followed him, the loose boards of the
passageway between the two sections of the house creaking and groaning
as he trod upon them; and coming to the door he had to stoop, so low had
it been cut.

"That's right, Jimmie, duck or you'll lay yourself out. I gad, the
world's full of traps set for big fellows. Now sit down there and fall
to. Don't feel very brash this morning, do you?"

"I feel first-rate," Jim answered, sitting down.

"Youth and love mixed," said the old man, placing himself at the head of
the board. "And ah, Lord, when we grow out of one and forget the other,
there's not much left to live for. I'd rather be a young fellow in love
than to be an emperor. Help yourself to a slab of that fried ham. She'll
bring the coffee pretty soon. Here she comes now. Waiting for you, Aunt
Liza. Have some hoe-cake, Jimmie. Yes, sir; youth and love constitute
the world, and all that follows is a mere makeshift. Thought may come,
but thought, after all, is but a dull compromise, Jimmie, a cold potato
instead of a hot roll. Love is noon, and wisdom at its best is only
evening. There are some quince preserves in that jar. Help yourself.
Thought about her all night, didn't you?"

"I think about her all the time, Uncle Gideon."

"And Jimmie, it wouldn't surprise me if the world should think about her
after a while. That woman's a genius."

"I hope not," the giant replied, looking up, and in his voice was a note
of distress, and in his eyes lay the shadow of a fear.

"And why not, Jimmie?"

"Because if she should turn out to be a genius she won't marry me."

"That's where your perception is broken off at the end, Jimmie. In the
matter of marriage genius is mighty skittish of genius--it seeks the
constancy of the sturdy and commonplace. I'll try a dip of those
preserves. Now let me see. After breakfast you'd better lie down on my
bed and take a nap."

"No, I must go. The Major is going over to Brantly to-day and I want him
to bring me a box of cartridges. I forgot to tell him last night."

"Oh, you're thinking about Mayo, eh?"

"Well, I don't know but he did cross my mind. It occurred to me that he
might waylay me some night, and I don't want to stand out in the road
and dance while he's shooting at me."

"That's right," said the old man. "A fellow cuts a mighty sorry figure
dancing under such circumstances