"Howdye!" said Hale, taking in the group with his glance, but
leaving his eyes on young Dave. The rest nodded, but the boy was
too surprised for speech, and the spirit of deviltry took the girl
when she saw her brother's face, and at the gate she turned:

"Much obleeged," she said. "Tell June I'm a-comin' over to see her
next Sunday."

"I will," said Hale, and he rode on. To his surprise, when he had
gone a hundred yards, he heard the boy spurring after him and he
looked around inquiringly as young Dave drew alongside; but the
boy said nothing and Hale, amused, kept still, wondering when the
lad would open speech. At the mouth of another little creek the
boy stopped his horse as though he was to turn up that way.
"You've come back agin," he said, searching Hale's face with his
black eyes.

"Yes," said Hale, "I've come back again."

"You goin' over to Lonesome Cove?"

"Yes."

The boy hesitated, and a sudden change of mind was plain to Hale
in his face. "I wish you'd tell Uncle Judd about the trouble in
town to-day," he said, still looking fixedly at Hale.

"Certainly."

"Did you tell the Red Fox that day you seed him when you was goin'