stone wall, turned into a lane, and climbed a worm fence into the
woods behind the school-house. There she sat down on a log,
miserably alone, and over the sunny strange slopes of this new
world, on over the foothills, her mind flashed to the big far-away
mountains and, dropping her face into her hands, she began to sob
out her loneliness and sorrow. The cry did her good, and by and by
she lifted her head, rubbed her reddened eyes with the back of one
hand, half rose to go to the school-house, and sank helplessly
down on the thick grass by the side of the log. The sun beat
warmly and soothingly down on her. The grass and even the log
against her shoulders were warm and comforting, and the hum of
insects about her was so drowsy that she yawned and settled deeper
into the grass, and presently she passed into sleep and dreams of
Jason. Jason was in the feud. She could see him crouched in some
bushes and peering through them on the lookout evidently for some
Honeycutt; and slipping up the other side of the hill was a
Honeycutt looking for Jason. Somehow she knew it was the Honeycutt
who had slain the boy's father, and she saw the man creep through
the brush and worm his way on his belly to a stump above where
Jason sat. She saw him thrust his Winchester through the leaves,
she tried to shriek a warning to Jason, and she awoke so weak with
terror that she could hardly scramble to her feet. Just then the
air was rent with shrill cries, she saw school-boys piling over a
fence and rushing toward her hiding-place, and, her wits yet
ungathered, she turned and fled in terror down the hill, nor did
she stop until the cries behind her grew faint; and then she was
much ashamed of herself. Nobody was in pursuit of her--it was the
dream that had frightened her. She could almost step on the head
of her own shadow now, and that fact and a pang of hunger told her
it was noon. It was noon recess back at the school and those