, but an imperious gesture of command from Parish
silenced him into a bewildered obedience. It had become suddenly
impossible to brow-beat this man.

"Dorothy," said her husband, "I reckon ye heered enough ter know what
brought these men hyar. They norates thet ther Doanes holds me
accountable fer whatever ther Harpers does--good or evil--because I
stands as heir ter yore gran'pap. They tells me likewise thet ther
Harpers hain't got no settled leader, an' only two things hinders me
from claimin' thet job myself: Fust place, I don't crave ter mingle in
thar ructions, and second place they won't hev none of me. Seems like
I'm ther gryste betwixt two mill-stones ... an' bein' es ye're my wife,
thet's a state of things thet consarns _you_ es well es me."

A Valkyrie fire glowed in the dark eyes of the young woman and her hands
clenched themselves tautly. The colour that had gone out of her cheeks
came back with a rush of vividness which seemed to transform her as a
lighted wick transforms a candle.

"When my gran'pap war a-strivin' aginst all manner of odds fer peace,"
she said, disdainfully, "thar was them thet kept hamperin' him by
whoopin' on ther troublemakers--an' I've done heered him say thet one
turrible hard man ter reason with bore ther name of Aaron Capper."

The elderly spokesman of the delegation flushed brick-red and his heavy
lashes gathered close in a menacing scowl.

"No man didn't love Caleb Harper no better'n me," he protested,
indignantly, "but ef we've got ter fight hit profits us ter hit
fust--an' hit hard."

"Now, I've got somethin' ter tell ye," went on Parish, and though they
did not know just when or how the change had been wrought, each of the
three visitors began to realize that a subtle shifting of places had
come over their relations to their host.

At first they had spoken categorically and he had listened passively.
Now when he spoke they felt the compulsion of hearkening to him as to
one whose words carried authority. Personalities had been measured as
are foils in the hands of fencers, and Parish Thornton was being
recognized to hold the longest and keenest blade.

"I've done sought ter show ye, outen yore own mouths," he said, soberly,
"thet at one an' ther same time ye was demandin' ter know what I aimed
ter do an' tellin' me I couldn't do nothin'. Now I tells ye thar's one
thing I jedgmatically _hain't_ a-goin' ter do, an' thet is ter stand by
an' suffer them two mill-stones ter