before I git back."

You heerd me? " he called after her, knitting his brows.

Yes, dad; I heerd ye," she answered, adding to herself, " But I don't
heed ye." In truth, the girl heeded nobody. It was not her way to
ask consent, even her own, nor to follow advice. At the bend of the
road she found the bag, and for an instant she stood wavering. An
impulse turned her to the river, and she loosed the boat, and
headed it across the swift, shallow water from the ford and straight
toward the mill. At every stroke of her paddle the water rose above
the prow of the boat, and, blown into spray, flew back and
drenched her; the wind loosed her hair, and, tugging at her skirts,
draped her like a statue; and she fought them, wind and water,
with mouth set and a smile in her eyes. One sharp struggle still,
where the creek leaped into freedom; the mouth grew a little
firmer, the eyes laughed more, the keel grated on pebbles, and the
boat ran its nose into the withered sedge on the Stetson shore.

A tall gray figure was pouring grain into the hopper when she
reached the door of the mill. She stopped abruptly, Rome Stetson
turned, and again the two were face to face. No greeting passed.
The girl lifted her head with a little toss that deepened the set look
about the mountaineer's mouth; her lax figure grew tense as
though strung suddenly against some coming harm, and her eyes
searched the shadows without once resting on him.

Whar's Uncle Gabe? " She spoke shortly, and as to a stranger.

Gone to town," said Rome, composedly. He had schooled himself