"Not a word did I say, but stood lookin' down in his face, and he a-shiverin'. I didn't intend to speak first. It did me good to see him shiver. Lord, pap, but he warn't proud then. I'd hev liked fer some of them factory fellers he owns to hev seen their master shiver.

""Thet you, Joshua?' he said, after a bit, tremblin' like.

""Didn't you ask me to come and see you ef I ever got North?' And I shoved the card he gave me in the terbacker patch into his face. He kept a-shiverin' and got whiter. Lord, pap, he looked skeered.

'Thet you, Joshua?' he said ag'in, fool-like.

""Yes, and I hain't got my hair cut, neither. Warn't you lookin' fer me er pap er some one from our section?' I asked, kinder keerless like fer one who felt es hateful es I did then.

'Keep yer hand off thet rope,' I said, es I saw him git up and edge toward the bell cord.

"What kin I do fer you, Joshua?' he asked after a bit, and then I pinted back to the cheer. ""Set down, rock-hunter, while I ask a question.'

"He settled into the cheer monstrous limberlike, and then I asked:

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"'Didn't we treat you fair, we who live down in the Knobs?'

"He didn't answer.

"Ain't et a square question, rock-hunter? Didn't we treat you fair?'

"'Yes,' he said.

"Rock-hunter, I don't intend to spend no words, but I wants you to listen to my story and see ef I tells et on the square. in the Knobs hev our own

We who live down way of settlin' ac

Jest listen while I

counts, but we want to be fair. talk, and ef I speak a crooked word, hold up yer hand, fer et's come to be a life matter, and I don't want to go home feelin' thet I did you bad or didn't give you a show. Now, keep your ears

open.

""We lived in the Knob country, pap, sister and us three boys. We lived well, fer we had all we wanted, but I knows now et warn't much, when I see how you folks live. But ef any people war happier than we war onct, the Lord did mighty well by 'em. Then this devilish war broke into Stringtown County, and some of us people went North to fight and others South to fight. But we couldn't all go to war, and I had to stay home to

help pap. Them war bad days, rock-hunter, but not half es bad as the day thet brought you.' I stopped talkin' fer a bit, to give him a show, but he didn't say nuthin'.

""Then Brother Samuel war shot, and next Brother Ezra; but we don't count sech things bad by the side of what you done. Am I talkin' straight, rock-hunter? Hold up yer hand ef I git He didn't say nuthin', but jest shiv

crooked?'

ered, and I went on:

""Then sister come home and told her story, and I started North next mornin' and went straight to yer home. I saw the place where you live. Lord, but you've got lots of things. I saw yer mother and yer sister, too. You've everything you want, rock-hunter-fine clothes, fine horses, fine house, fine garden and lot. You've got a rich pap and a sister Mary and a mammy thet loves you jest like es if you all war common people. It war a mighty chance you hed to be good and make folks happy. Lord, ef I'd only had sech a chance! We Warwicks down in the Knobs hedn't nuthin' much but sister, and she a timid, trustin' bit of a girl. Jest this little one lamb of a girl war all we had, rock-hunter, after brothers went to war,

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