re candle; sometimes I have to
strike a light 'fore day."

"All right." Westerfelt got into the bed and drew the covers up to his
chin. There was a thumping on the floor beneath the house.

"It's the dogs," explained Luke, at the door. "They are a-flirtin'
the'r tails about. They'll settle down terrectly. What time do you
want to rise in the mornin'?"

"When you do. I'm no hand to lie in bed."

"You'll have to crawl out with the chickens then."

"Luke!"

Bradley turned at the door. "What is it, John?"

"I don't like Wambush's looks."

Bradley laughed, with his hand over his mouth. "Nobody else does to
hurt."

"Do you think he would trifle with the affections of a young girl?"

"Would he?" Again Bradley laughed.

"Well, I reckon he would; he is a bad man, I tell you. We'd never 'low
him to enter our house, ef we could help it, but he'd raise the very
devil ef he was slighted. We'd never heer the end of it. Ef we'd left
'im out to-night I'd 'a' had 'im to fight out thar in the front yard
while the party was goin' on. I wouldn't mind it much, but my wife
never wanted me in a row."

"This girl he was with to-night, has she father or brothers?"

"No, the's jest her an' 'er mother."

"Isn't it pretty risky for her to go with him so much?"

"Oh, I reckon she kin take care o' herse'f; she has that look to me;
besides, she's been warned; my wife an' among 'em has talked to her
plenty o' times. I reckon she knows what he is well enough. Do you
know I had my eye on you an' her to-night?"

"What do you mean, Luke?" Westerfelt managed to avoid meeting the eye
of his host as he put the question. He could not remember ever having
waited for a reply with more concern.

"Oh, I don't know," smiled Bradley, knowingly; "but somehow you an' her
seemed to me to be head an' shoulders above the rest o' that silly
crowd. The idee just popped into my head that you'd make a spankin'
team, an' then ag'in" (Bradley laughed) "I tuck notice that you never
went up to 'er an' talked to her free-like, as you did to most o' the
rest, an' I remembered I wus jest that big a fool when I fust met
Marthy. But you wus a-watchin' of her, though. I'll bet ef you looked
at 'er once you did forty times. As for her, I happen to know some'n
funny. You see, I heerd her an' Wambush a-talkin' on the back porch
when I went out thar to draw up a bucket o' water. The rope had got
tangled somehow, an' I had to fix it, an' while