xt7jsx645230 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7jsx645230/data/mets.xml Rayner, Emma, d. 1926. 1900  books b92fr2184vi19002009 English Small, Maynard, & Company : Boston, Ma. Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Visiting the sin; a tale of mountain life in Kentucky and Tennessee. text Visiting the sin; a tale of mountain life in Kentucky and Tennessee. 1900 2009 true xt7jsx645230 section xt7jsx645230 
VISITING T H E SIN
E M M A K AYNER

  
  
  
  
  
By EMMA
F R E E T O SERVE
SMALL, MAYNARD &

RATNER
j5i-5  
COMPANY

IN C A S T L E A N D COLONY.
HERBERT S. STONE & COMPANY

$1.50

  
V I S I T I N G T H E SIN
A T ale of Mountain Life in K entucky and Tennessee
By EMMA RAYNER

Boston Small, M a y n a r d & 1 900 Company

  
  
PREFACE It may possibly happen that some reader of the following pages may see in the incidents fou?id therein that which to him will appear as evidence of a somewhat free fliglit of fancy. To such the author would like to explain that, although the plot of the book is entirely fictitious, there are but few incidents i?itroduced into the story which are not founded upon real happenings, not necessarily in the actual neighbourhood where the story is located, but within the mountain district of Kentucky and Tennessee. Taken directly from the mouths of old residents, these incidents and traditions have been woven into the thread of the tale; and whatever of strangeness or unconventionality they may seem to possess must be attributed, not to the teller of the story, but to the wild, untutored life of a people who twenty-five years ago zvere not quite what they are to-day, when education is penetrating even into the most remote recesses of the kills, and the stones of long ago are told cautiously and with many a look at the listener to detect the first approach to a smile of ridicule or disbelief. The details of the fight before the door of the church were drawn from the lips of a resident of the hamlet where the skirmish occurred,    a hamlet where, even to-day, the sheriff deems it wisest to go with words of friendship on his tongue. An actual occurrence of like character lias been made the foundation for the story of the death of Abner Poteet, some of the details of the dream having been told to the author by an old resident of the mountains who was personally acquainted with the dreamer, and zvlw heard the story from his lips before, in accordance with the warning, he unresistingly yielded up his life.

  
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In the particular form in which they are woven into the tale the incidents are to be regarded as purely fictitious. Nevertheless, their foundation lies firmly fixed upon fact. In the matter of dialect the object has been to keep to the more getiei-al form of it heard within thirty miles of the spot zuhere the story is located, allowance being made for changes already produced by edtication. Dialect vanes much in different districts, even within a small radius, and that which may be a fair reproduction of the speech of one neighbourhood would be open to criticism in another.
B OSTON, 1900.

  
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L A N G a nd clamour and c l i c k ! T h e tongue of t he old b ell s truck noisily against the metal, and s topped, as if in horror at its own performance. I t ought surely to h ave p icked up more music from its s urroundings. T h e l eaves a bove it rustled as in derision of i ts efforts, and the clear c all of a b ird p ut its clamorous echoes to shame. T h e soft chug, chug, of water d rawn i nto a deep hole in the rock, and the melodious c hatter of the same a gent as it swept along the shallow edge of the stream, made particular notes in the chorus of h armonious sounds that held s way i n these K e n t u c k y w oods. T h e old b ell w as out of harmony w ith i ts surroundings. They ought to h ave p ut soul even into its c racked metal. Forest kings that had held court in t hese mountains for centuries shook their leafy crowns i n d erision at the barbarous efforts of the interloper. T h e g i r l w hose hand pulled the cord and set the harsh t ongue to vibrating was an interloper t o o ; but she w as not out of character w ith h er surroundings. T h e t all, s upple figure, the slow g race of movement, the dark, s lumberous eyes, w ith p ossibilities     no, rather w ith p romise     of passion beneath their calm, were in keeping w ith t he h ills a nd the forest. T h e g irl a nd the b ell s tood at the foot of a high m ountain, o r, more properly speaking, a cleft made by

  
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t wo mountains, that, sweeping together just beyond the spot where the b ell h ung, left a long, deep valley, l ittle m ore than a notch in the great, overshadowing h ills. A l engthy, low structure built of logs was behind her, and t he stream tumbled over boulders and tree-trunks a lmost at her feet. S he lifted her eyes f or a minute to the mountain o pposite, and then raised her hand and set the b ell c langing a gain. In answer to the sound a figure came s winging d own the mountain side, and another and a nother appeared between the trees. W i t h l ong, easy s trides those mountaineers descended the steep face of t he h ill, n ever stopping to pick out a path. Their destination was soon proclaimed to be the building before w hich t he g irl s tood, and they came straight on towards i t. H u n g r y men were not likely to t urn a side for an easier route, and the b ell h ad just announced that supper awaited them. A t t he same t ime, from the door of a m ill, h idden f rom t he eyes of the g irl b y a ragged bluff, half a dozen men passed out into the sunlight, and started for the spot towards which the descending figures were converging. T h e m ill was well out of sight of the low l og b uilding, and of the house that stood by its side. T h e sister of the m ill o wner would h ave i t so. " I 'm not a imin' t o live on top of the m ill, o r of the m ill-workers, e ither     if I do board them," she said, w ith a t ouch of scorn in her voice. " They're mountain men, a ll. A r y one of them can stand a five minutes' walk before he eats, o r if not, he may go hungry." S o the logs of the long, low dining-hall were piled one u pon a nother at a convenient distance from the m ill, a nd t he house of the m ill o wner rose near by. It was of l ogs also, but it was not the usual log house of the K e n t u c k y m ountains. This was large, and light, and h igh, a nd its chinks were well covered w ith b ark, nailed

  
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o n s ecurely. Inside, the neatly boarded walls showed t he grain of the cedar that grew in plenty on the m ountains. T h e plants that blossomed in the windows w ere not brighter than the room to which they belonged. T h e dark eyes of the m ill o wner's sister were sworn foes t o dirt and dinginess. " I ' m p owerful glad to hear that b e l l . " T h e first arrival swung himself round the end of the b uilding, a nd pulled up at the big half-gourd reposing on a s mooth section of tree-trunk which measured not less t han e ight feet a cross, and did duty as an outside table. " J i s t i n time," he added, glancing over his shoulder at the t all, l ean wood-chopper who followed him closely, a nd t aking possession of the gourd and the water it contained at the very moment when his companion's hand was stretched out to draw it towards himself. " N o t so fast, f riend. H i t ' s h e'p yerself in this crowd." " Y o u ' l l do, t h e n ,     nary one better," responded the o ther, as he watched the first-comer liberally and l eisurely souse face a nd hands in the cool water. A r o u n d t he corresponding half of the gourd the rest of t he men were crowding, taking deep draughts of the clear spring water w ith w hich it was filled t o the b rim. W h e n a ll had taken their t urn, a nd the water supply g rew low, the men, clean and cool as to faces a nd hands, filed i nto t he dining-room. " D a l back yet ?" " No." T h e eyes of the g irl w ere turned f ull o n the questioner. T h e answer, though short, was deliberate, the gaze m ore so. " P owerful slow, hain't he ? " " I s it Garl Cox that talks of slowness ?" she said, w ith a c url of her lip and a derisive light in her eyes. " W hen G a r l starts a chopping match w ith D a l , i t'll b e a s i-ight."

  
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T h e long drawl upon the last word g ave it expression. T h e man's face r eddened as a laugh went round the t able at his expense. T h e g irl t urned a way, a nd her assistant, a stout mountain w oman, appeared w ith a h uge platter of fried pork. H ungry-looking eyes b rightened, and, for the time, t ongues had other work to do than to inquire about the m ill o wner's absence. H e f or whom they had asked was not far a way. F ollowing t he stream that had hewed out a channel for i tself d own the face of the rock where the two mountains met, he had come almost over the l ittle c amp before he flung himself down on a decayed tree-trunk. To rest ? Hardly. H i s attitude had l ittle of restfulness in i t. T o think, perhaps,    or to despair. H i s face suggested the latter i nclination. I t was the face of a young m an, b ut a disappointed one,    ay, and a troubled one. " I was a fool," he said, i n a low, pained tone,    " a fool! A n d I a lways am and always shall be while I trust in g ood in man or woman." H i s head went down on his hands, and the mountain g rew s till as if innocent of human occupant. A mischievous squirrel presently dropped the shell of a last y ear's a corn in his hair, but the young man did not look u p. A d ogwood tree, incited by a saucy breath of w ind, flung a s pray of its g reat w hite bloom sheer in his face, o r in that part of it that was not altogether covered by h is h ands. A l izard c rept out of the rotten trunk and s campered over his foot; and a scorpion came dangerously near, and then glided a way. H e saw none of t hem. W hat he did see was his own folly and its consequences. " F o o l ! " h e said again, after a long silence. " F ool, t o trust ary man     as fur as that." E v e n those words, harsh as they were, were softened b y the Southern drawl t ill t hey lost the worst of their

  
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s ting. H e might be a f ool, a nd he might know it, b ut t he strident tones that make the word an insult w ere absent f rom the voice that uttered the reproach. S outhern i n tone and Southern in nature was the young m an, w ho at another c all f rom the b ell, s ounding not u nmelodious a cross t he s pace t hat separated the m ill o wner from the m ill, l ifted h is head and looked the w orld i n the face. " F ool o r not, it w ill a vail nothing to sit here," he s aid, a nd r ose t o his feet. T hough a lmost over the camp, a big swell of the m ountain l ay between. H e took the shortest way down i t. T h e choice of route scarcely s uggested a s trong l ove of l ife. T h e last c all of the b ell c ame up to him as he sprang from a huge boulder, and stood again on t he edge of the torrent. T h e sound, unsoftened now b y distance, embodied the camp life to which he was r eturning. H e shrank visibly from it, hesitated a m oment, a nd then went on. T h e clatter of knives and forks and the hum of voices came to his ears as he p assed t he open door of the long d ining-hall. H e turned his head and looked in, his eyes p assing over the row of men s eated o n either side of the u ncovered table, and seeking the figure of the g irl w ho s tood at the further end. H e r f ace was turned towards t he door, and the look upon it caused his feet t o linger, even before he heard her voice. " F i l l y our mouth w ith v ictuals, J i m Fletcher, and g ive your tongue something better to do than to rattle aout the emptiness of your head," it said. " A r y dry g ourd c an rattle when it's shook, but nary man stops to l isten t o its clatter. W h e n m en want to know the c haracter of the owner of this m ill, i t's not to J i m F letcher, n or to any other empty head they'll come to a sk." T here was a chuckle and a laugh down the line as the

  
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d iscomfited J i m followed the girl's injunction, and in h is confusion conveyed an unusually l arge l ump of pork t o the capacious gap behind his lips. " D on't be too hard on J i m , " remonstrated a burly m ountain m an who sat n ear t he end of the table at w hich t he g irl s tood. " J i m hain't the only one that says D ai's been tuk in powerful bad." " I n ever s aid J i m was the only idiot around," replied t he g irl, i n clear, musical tones, and with a look that sent t he e yes of the s peaker d own on his plate. W h i l e a l oud laugh ran round, a rough, savage-looking m an dropped his knife, and turned angrily on the s peaker. " Y ou-all can fix hit abaout as ye like when you open y er mouth," he said; " but hit's we-uns that '11 h ev to l ose f or Dai's foolery." T h e sound of the words travelled up to where the g irl s tood, and down through the space b etween the s peaker a nd the door, passing into the warm A p r i l a ir w ithout. It brought the feet of the passer-by t o a s tand, and almost turned them into the room. H i s eyes d arkened, and then glowed with a light that a nswered to another j ust k indled inside,    the light that shone dangerously in a girl's eyes. " W h e n ary one of you loses a cent by Dalbert Mozingo, c ome to Naomi Mozingo and say so," she said in c lear, vibrating tones. " T i l l t hen hold your tongue, a nd let better men s peak." S he disappeared through a door in the r ear of the b uilding, a nd presently returned with a big dish of cobbler pie held in both hands. K n i v e s and forks suspended operations for a minute, and then made a dash at the piled up delicacy. B efore e ver i t reached the t able, the load had grown lighter. It c ame i n heaped h igh as the platter would h old, t he r ich m ellow apple q uarters peeping out from the broken, piled up crust.

  
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   C obbler ! Cobbler pie here ! " came from all sides; a nd g reat g aps s oon showed themselves as fork after f ork was thrust into the yielding mass. N o t a scrap remained o n the dish when the men straggled out into the l ight t hat was reddening as the sun dipped down. They w ere rugged, untutored mountaineers, every one of them,     f ierce looking, too, men whom one would instinctively a bstain from angering. T h e g irl w as left alone. She stood w ith one hand on t he table, staring into the sunset glow beyond. It was not t he sunset that was reflected in her eyes. T h e light w ithout was too peaceful to be responsible for that w ithin. A n d when the sun dropped suddenly below a m ountain p eak, and the valley and the lower hillsides w ere left in shadow, the light i n the girl's e yes g rew b righter and more threatening. There was no sunset g low to be made responsible now. N ot u ntil t he stout, strong-armed assistant returned t o the room did the m i l l o wner's sister arouse herself f rom t hat unseeing s tare i nto the lessening brightness w ithout. " G ather up the dishes, Texas," she said. " I'm going i nto t he house." I t was in the l iving r oom that she found her brother. " W e l l ? " s he said, going up to him, and looking into t he face t hat turned to g reet h er. H e r v oice had lowered, and the fire had left her eyes. T hey were soft w ith s ympathy now, as they met those of t he young man. She put her hand on his shoulder. " G e o r g e Roach has played you false a gain," she said, a nd t he words were not a question. "Yes. H e went to Louisville and got the money b efore he ran off." " A l l of i t ? " " E v e r y cent." T hey stood looking at each other.

  
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" T h a t comes of having a partner," she said at last. " A n d of trusting h i m . " A s mile, half scornful, half tender, c ame t o her lips. " W h i l e D albert Mozingo lives, he w ill t rust," she said. H e d rew himself away w ith a smothered exclamation, t hen turned and laid his hand on hers. " I d on't see why I should r esent t he t r u t h , " he said, w ith b itter humility. " It's not pleasant to be reminded t hat I'm an idiot, even though I know right well it's no l ie." " A g ood-natured fool would be n earer t he mark," she s aid slowly, and her eyes l ooked into his with a flash t hat was tender as it was brief. " But the fool must pay for his folly." " H e ' s paying d ear," he said. S he noticed the break in his voice. " W e l l     we must start afresh," she replied. H e l ooked at her sharply. " H o w ? We're six w eeks b ehind with the men." " T here's the money for the stuff that went aout last week. R oach didn't get that," she ventured. T he gloom on his face d eepened. " T h a t ' s not mine," he answered shortly. "Rogers has got to h ave i t. H e wants it plumb bad. It's his. H e m ortgaged his farm to help me. T h e money's c alled in. H e must h ave i t in a month. I can't save m yself by another man's r u i n . " S he drew a long breath. " A m onth ! W e can't do i t , " she said. " W e m ust," he answered fiercely. " W i l l R ogers s taked all he had to g ive m e a start. I s wore h e should not lose. H e shall h ave t hat money if I h ave t o fight m y way to him with i t . " " I t may come to that," she said grimly. S he turned quickly. H e r ear had caught the sound of a footstep without.    

  
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" B e t t e r meet nary one of them to-night," she said. H e d isappeared into an inner room. " I t's come to sneaking off like a coward," he muttered. " A r e y ou a imin' t o come aout, Naomi? H i t ' s g oin' t o be a powerful pretty night." S he recognised the voice of the young man who ' spoke, but for a minute she did not answer. She was t hinking. " A l l r ight," she said, after that momentary hesitation. " I 'll come when I've seen how T exas i s getting on w ith t he dishes." S he went to the door of the inner room. " I 'm going aout w ith F r a n k Sharp," she said. T h e n s he turned quickly and visited T exas i n the k itchen. T h e face of the waiting cavalier cleared as she came out into the twilight. H e was a bright-eyed, sharp-visaged m ountaineer, young and stalwart. T h e hair that h ung l ong in his neck had been combed w ith e xceeding care, and the hand that rested on the door-post shone w ith t he vigorousness of the scrubbing it had received. A w alk w ith N aomi Mozingo was a prize for which a m an m ust bid high. N o t many men, old or young, in a ll t hat valley, or on the mountain sides either, but w ould b e ready to bid, and scarcely one but would go out of his way at Naomi's c all. T hey w ere n ot insensible to beauty, if they w ere m ountain men. T h e soft r ing of the girl's voice had more than once turned them aside from a fixed purpose. That it had turned many a m an's head was well understood. " H i t ' l l b e as pretty a night as e ver y ou see," remarked the young man as they left the door. S he did not answer. " F rank," she said after a moment's silence, " what did J im Walker mean this evening ?"

  
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" W hat the r est of 'em mean," he said, looking at her a dmiringly. " T har's g ittin' t o be a mighty uncomfortable feelin', N a o m i . " " T h e men are fools," she said, and she smiled at him as she said it. " N a r y one w ill lose by Da-al. But t hey've got to wait." T hey might or might not be fools as a whole, but that s mile p ut one of the workmen safely i nto the category. " / know Dai's all ri-ight," he said, the long drawl on t he last word softening it wonderfully. " But the men are in a mighty hurry. Yesterday was a w eek, D al p romised ' em he'd pay in seven d ays. T hey've done e xpected hit. H e ' s back, hain't he? " " Yes." " H as he got the money for the w ages ? " he asked. S he looked at him for a moment. " A n d w hat if he h a s n ' t ? " she demanded i n a tone softly defiant. " H i t ' l l b e powerful awkward," he said. T here was silence between them. She was pondering h is last words. She understood enough of the n ature of t hese m en to know that it would b e " powerful a wkward." It had been awkward enough since George R oach, t he m ill o wner's partner, had gathered together a ll t he available cash and disappeared. That was a m onth ago. Naomi Mozingo had never doubted the p ossibility of working through the difficulty        u ntil tonight. " A w k w a r d o r not," she said at last," " i t ' s plumb c ertain t hey've got to wa-it." " H ain't D a l a imin' t o pay ? Hain't he got n othin' for t hey-uns ?" asked the young man. " F rank," she said, " it's safe t o t ell y ou. I can trust y ou a n y w h e r e "     h e drew himself up an i nch o r two h igher     " and w ith a nything. We've got to earn that m oney before i t'll c ome."

  
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H e s topped, and looked in her face. T h e l ast f aint r ays of light w ere p laying upon it. In that fading light t he eyes h ad grown wistful and sad. They looked s traight into t hose of the young man     and won. " H i t hain't goin' to be my fault if thar's ary trouble," h e said. " I'll he'p all I know how, but lor, t hey're p lumb crazy."

  
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' T T I H E t ree's d one k illed p appy ! " T h e words burst forth in a s hrill, w eak voice, -M- t he weird mournfulness of which struck cold to t he heart of one listener, at least. H e was crossing the t hreshold of the log cabin as the c hild s poke, and the b lue, q uivering lips were close to his heart. T h e y had b een s till e ver s ince he started w ith h er towards the h ouse. N o w they opened, and that one startling sentence escaped them. " K i l l e d y our p a p p y ! " A w oman turned from the hearth. She took a step t owards the young man as if she would snatch the l ittle g irl f rom his arms, then stopped, removed the pipe from h er mouth, and glared at the m ill o wner. " Y e s , k illed h im plumb dead." T h e words ended i n a g asp. D albert Mozingo looked d own i nto the colourless face, and noted the effort the c hild m ade. " Y ou've done k illed h er, too, I reckon," said the w oman, n odding her head towards the l ittle g irl, b ut addressing Dalbert. T h e heavy features of the speaker had taken upon t hemselves an expression of savage m oroseness. She l aid h er pipe on the narrow mantel-shelf, and waited for t he m ill o wner to speak. " S he's h urt," he said hurriedly. " A tree f ell o n her, a nd     h im. I 've sent for the doctor." " A p owerful sight o' good h it'll d u to send for a doctor f or a dead man," said the woman s avagely. " W hose f ault was hit he was under the t ree? H i t ' s you-uns t hat 'ticed my man, and every other man, to cut down

  
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good t rees j ist to put money in your p ocket. If he'd 'a l istened to me, he'd never 'a chopped another tree for a m an t hat cain't pay and don't mean to pay." T h e m ill o wner made no answer. H e carried the c hild t o one of the four b eds t hat filled the four corners of t he room, choosing the one n earest t o the hinged s hutter, which, swinging wide on this A p r i l day, left o pen a s quare h ole in the w a l l ,     sole window to afford l ight t o the interior. " B e t t e r not touch her t ill d oc g ets h ere," he said. " H e r a rm's broke. T h e l ess s he's h andled, the better." " I r eckon," replied the woman, i n a d ull, h ard tone. S he sank upon the chair from which she had risen, a nd put a lump of tobacco into her mouth. T h e n she r esumed her s tare i nto the fire. S he asked no questions about the accident, and the y oung man turned again to the c hild. S he was a little g irl of nine or thereabouts, and the m ill o wner shuddered as he saw the flaxen hair dyed red with blood that was not her own. H e had shuddered before, when he saw t he two h eads l y i n g so near together,    the man's and t he little child's. The rosy bloom of the J udas t ree was not the only red that had coloured the mountain side t hat afternoon. W h e n Dalbert Mozingo sprang up the r ocks in answer to a w ild c ry that came ringing down t he mountain, he saw the two faces l y i n g very close, separated only by the ruddy stream that was widening b etween them. " Pappy's k illed ! " s hrieked the little g i r l ; a nd he did not contradict her. T he face so near to hers was stiffening already. The b lood w ould not flow long. T h e tree that had struck t he c hild t o the ground had fallen upon the body of the man i n such a way as to crush the life out, even if the blow o n the forehead had not been s evere e nough to cause d eath. Dalbert had turned his attention to the l ittle g irl.

  
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" W here are you hurt ? " he asked. " E verywhars," replied the c hild. T h e n , as he lifted h er, she tried to stretch out her hand. " Pappy, oh, p appy ! " she moaned, and f ell b ack w ith a s hriek. " Y o u must not try to use that arm : it is b r o k e n ! " t he young man exclaimed hastily, taking the injured l imb i n a firm g rasp lest she should hurt herself more. S he had l ain v ery s till w hile he carried her home. H e t hought s he had fainted. But now her eyes w ere wide o pen. " H o w c ame the tree to f all o n p a p p y ? " he asked, t he grim silence of the woman making the moments seem long. T h e c hild s tared at h i m w ith m ournful eyes. " H e was cursin' at y o u , " she said, w ith s tartling distinctness. " H e ' d chopped a right smart inter the tree, a nd a ll at once he stopped to say a curse agin you, and afore he could finish h it the tree come plumb atop o' h im a nd me. H e never spoke no more atter that." A c urse against h i m     and on a dying man's l ips! T h e face of the m ill o wner darkened. " I r eckon the curse '11 s tick if he didn't finish h i t ! " T h e words were emphasized by a deliberate and v icious s pit at the fire, the tobacco juice from the w oman's mouth s izzling v indictively as it reached the h ot e mbers. T h e dark blood rose to the young man's f orehead. T h e effect of the words was visible on a nother face also. A pair of eyes f lashed, and lips o pened as if to speak. T h e y closed again, however, a nd t he boy to whom they belonged leaned back against t he wall and fixed his gaze o n the m ill o wner. Perhaps h e was waiting for him to answer. If so, he was d isappointed. F or a l ong time there was silence in the room. The m ill o wner was t hinking t hat Lemuel Sutton had always b een a hindrance to his progress. H e had from the

  
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first been suspicious of the young man, for a long time r efusing h i m the right to p ass t hrough a piece of rough m ountain l and i n his possession. It was the n earest r oute from the stream to the road beyond. " W e-uns done without a m ill afore y ou-all come, and w e can du without hit y i t , " he said. H e h ad kept up his opposition u ntil a nother outlet, less s atisfactory, but more available, had been almost d ecided upon, and then come to terms. But he had n ever grown friendly towards the m ill o r its owner, and h is v oice had been the loudest i n outcry when the money r an s hort. That he had died w ith a c urse against the m i l l o wner on his lips Dalbert could well believe. T h e minutes passed. T h e woman stared at the fire, a nd t he boy stared at the m ill o wner. T h e s tare was of a different character i n the two cases, h owever. T h e one w as vicious, the other friendly. " H o w d y , J ane." A n eighbour poked her head in at the door, and peered c uriously r ound the room. T h e n she allowed her body t o follow her head. " H o w d y , " s he repeated, aiming her second greeting at the m ill o wner, who sat on the edge of the bed, h olding t he l ittle b roken arm " T h e y ' r e bringin' your man home," she added, walking o ver towards the fireplace. T h e woman by the fire neither spoke nor moved in a nswer, only her lips formed themselves into the right c urves to e ject a g reat s quirt of tobacco juice that w ith u nerring a im was shot at the one stick of wood yet g lowing o n the hearth. T h e boy took his shoulders away f rom their contact w ith t he logs and went to the door. " Y es, they're a-bringin' of him, mammy," he said. " B r i n g i n ' of him home ! " ejaculated the woman, in a l oud, h ard tone. " A n d whose fault is hit they're

  
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a -bringin' of him home that a way     c arryin' him like a l og, a nd h i m not able to he'p himself ?" " I t was an unfortunate accident," said the m ill o wner s oothingly, " but I don't know that anybody's to blame." T h e woman turned upon him. " H e was k illed a -doin' you-uns' work," she said. " I f y ou-all h adn't come here, he'd 'a been alive now. D i d we-uns want to cut the t rees clown ? T h e m young uns h ain't g ot no pappy, and I hain't got no man, all along o' y o u . " D albert Mozingo recoiled. T h e savage a nimosity of t he words carried a sort of conviction w ith t hem. For t he moment he felt himself the murderer of Lemuel S utton. " P appy was t i g h t ! " T h e sounds w ere h urled into the stillness of the r oom. T h e boyish, unhesitating tones cleared a way a m ist from Dalbert's brain. H e could understand the a ccident now. " Y o u shet yer mouth," said the woman s avagely. " R h o d y knows," continued the boy, undaunted. " S he's p appy's gal. S he's b een after him since noon. W arn't h e drunk, Rhody ? " " Y es, he was powerful drunk," said the c hild s lowly. " H e tuk another dram jist afore h e begun choppin' that t ree." T here was a movement about the door. " B etter keen up the fire, J ane," r ecommended the n eighbour. " H i t may be wanted. They're tol'rable n ear now." T h e y w ere b ringing the dead man a cross t he threshold. " O h , lor ! Mercy sakes ! L ue-uke at the young u n ! S he's as white as her pappy. O h , lor, hit's a si-ight." A c rowd of women and children trooped in after the s ober-visaged men who bore the body of the wood-

  
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c hopper. Three or four masculine forms brought up t he rear. T h e s pace b etween the b eds was becoming f ull. " M ake way there, friends." " H e r e ' s the d o c ! " T h e man who pushed through the crowd around the door was a fine specimen of the mountaineer. H e stood six feet t wo without his shoes, a nd was sufficiently stout of l imb t o be well proportioned. " P u t h im on the bed," he directed, sweeping off from one of the remaining three resting places the occupants w ho had taken possession. " Thar's n othin' t o be done for h i-im." T h e long drawn out final word was uttered as he t urned t owards the l ittle g irl. " A n d so you got hurt too, Rhody ? " H i s fingers w ere a lready feeling for broken bones. " D o n ' t ! " said the c hild, s harply. " Let him du hit. H i s h ands don't hurt like yourn." S he was looking towards Dalbert. " G i t aout o' thar ! " T h e mother of the c hild s tood by the m ill o wner's side. " Y es, I'll go now," he said, w ith a n air of relief. " I was caring a l ittle t oo much to l eave h er t ill d oc come." " D o n ' t ! " repeated the l ittle g irl i mpatiently, as the d octor's fingers came in contact w ith t he bruised body. " I h ain't a imin' t o be hurt no more ' n I can he'p. L e t D a l f eel. H i s fingers don't poke inter me like yourn." T h e small mouth was drawn w ith p ain. V e r y evidently t he broken arm was not the f ull e xtent of the i njury. " Y o u m ust let the doctor see where you're hurt, R hody," said the m ill o wner, in a soothing tone. " H e can't make you better without." " H a i n ' t he s eed e nough ?" said the c hild w earily.

  
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" I a ches e verywhars. H e hurts more ' n the tree. You f eel, and let him take his hands a way." T hus it happened that in the examination which f ollowed it was the m ill o wner's fingers that loosened the c hild's c lothing, and the m ill o wner's voice that spoke c omforting w ords. Before the broken bone was set, the s mall face h ad grown whiter than before, and it mattered little to Rhody whose hands touched the aching l imb. H e r e yes w ere c losed, and the doctor experienced n o opposition to his w ill. " O h , l or, mercy sakes, s he's w hite as death! H i t w on't be long afore she's l aid aside o' her pappy." " Y es, and that comes o' takin' up with foreigners. W o u l d m y man ever ' a been layin' thar that a way i f he h adn't come ?" T h e s peaker p ointed a finger at Dalbert. " H i t ' l l b e the c hild n ext," she continued. " Hain't t har death plain enough in her face ? " T h e crowd squeezed nearer to