comes round that bend thar. My, but hit'll be a surprise fer her."

The old man chuckled so cheerily that Hale, to humour him, hitched
his horse to a sapling, came back and sat in the door of the mill.
The old man knew all about the trouble in town the day before.

"I want to give ye a leetle advice. Keep yo' mouth plum' shut
about this here war. I'm Jestice of the Peace, but that's the only
way I've kept outen of it fer thirty years; an' hit's the only way
you can keep outen it."

"Thank you, I mean to keep my mouth shut, but would you mind--"

"Git in!" interrupted the old man eagerly. "Hyeh she comes." His
kind old face creased into a welcoming smile, and between the logs
of the mill Hale, inside, could see an old sorrel horse slowly
coming through the lights and shadows down the road. On its back
was a sack of corn and perched on the sack was a little girl with
her bare feet in the hollows behind the old nag's withers. She was
looking sidewise, quite hidden by a scarlet poke-bonnet, and at
the old man's shout she turned the smiling face of little June.
With an answering cry, she struck the old nag with a switch and
before the old man could rise to help her down, slipped lightly to
the ground.

"Why, honey," he said, "I don't know whut I'm goin' to do 'bout
yo' corn. Shaft's broke an' I can't do no grindin' till to-
morrow."

"Well, Uncle Billy, we ain't got a pint o' meal in the house," she