tree-top full of bickering blackbirds and brought three down, torn,
flopping, bleeding. He thrust them into his sack, which reddened
through, and we went on ... still in silence. The silence began to make
me tremble but I was glad, anyhow, that I had gone with him. I
conjectured that he had brought me a-field to give me a final
whipping--"to teach me to mind Granma."

"--had to bring you out here ... the women are too chicken-hearted--they
stop me too soon...."

"--Pity your pa's away ... don't do to leave a kid alone with women
folks ... they don't make him walk the chalk enough!"

It was about an hour after sunrise. We had come to an open field among
trees. Lan set down his gun against a tree-trunk.

"--needn't make to run ... I can catch you, no matter how fast you go."

He cut a heavy stick from a hickory.

"Come on and take your medicine ... I'm goin' away to-morrow to Halton,
and I want to leave you something to remember me by--so that you'll obey
Ma and Millie while I'm gone. If you don't, when I come back, you'll
catch it all over again."

My heart was going like a steam engine. At the last moment I started to
run, my legs sinking beneath me. He was upon me with my first few steps,
and had me by the scruff of the neck, and brought down the cudgel over
me.