to the hearth and held a match to it. The piece blazed and burned
in his hand.

"I never seed no coal in these mountains like that--did you?"

"Not often--find it around here?"

"Right hyeh on this farm--about five feet thick!"

"What?"

"An' no partin'."

"No partin'"--it was not often that he found a mountaineer who
knew what a parting in a coal bed was.

"A friend o' mine on t'other side,"--a light dawned for the
engineer.

"Oh," he said quickly. "That's how you knew my name."

"Right you air, stranger. He tol' me you was a--expert."

The old man laughed loudly. "An' that's why you come over hyeh."

"No, it isn't."

"Co'se not,"--the old fellow laughed again. Hale shifted the talk.

"Well, now that you know my name, suppose you tell me what yours