chair Mr. Crenshaw hurried from the room to return almost
immediately with a tall countryman. "Mr. Bladen, this is Bob
Yancy. Bob, the gentleman, wants to hear about the woman and the
child; that's your story."

"Howdy, sir," said Mr. Yancy. He appeared to meditate on the
mental effort that was required of him, then he took a long
breath. "It was this a-ways--" he began with a soft drawl, and
then paused. "You give me the dates, Mr. John, fo' I
disremember."

"It was four year ago come next Christmas," said Crenshaw.

"Old Christmas," corrected Mr. Yancy. "Our folks always kept the
old Christmas like it was befo' they done mussed up the calendar.
I'm agin all changes," added Mr. Yancy.

"He means the fo'teenth of December," explained Mr. Crenshaw.

"Not wishin' to dispute your word, Mr. John, I mean Christmas,"
objected Yancy.

"Oh, very well, he means Christmas then!" said Crenshaw.

"The evening befo', it was, and I'd gone to Fayetteville to get
my Christmas fixin's; there was right much rain and some snow
falling." Mr. Yancy's guiding light was clearly accuracy. "Just
at sundown I hooked up that blind mule of mine to the cart and
started fo' home. As I got shut of the town the stage come in
and I seen one passenger, a woman. Now that mule is slow, Mr.