"''AMMOND!' she fairly hollers. Then she went through the most
blood-curdling pantomime ever was, I reckon. First she comes up to me
and taps me on the chest and says, ''Edge.' Then she goes creeping round
the room on tiptoe, p'inting out of the winder all the time as much as
to say she was pertending to walk through the woods. Then she p'ints to
one of the stumps we used for chairs and screeches 'AMMOND!' and fetches
the stump an awful bang with the club. Then she comes over to me and
kinder snuggles up and smiles, and says, ''Edge,' and tried to put the
club in my hand.

"My topnot riz up on my head. 'Good Lord!' thinks I, 'she's making love
to me so's to get me to take that club and go and thump Hammond with
it!'

"I was scared stiff, but Lobelia was between me and the door, so I kept
smiling and backing away.

"'Now, Lobelia,' says I, 'don't be--'

"''Ammond!' says she.

"'Now, Miss 'Ankins, d-o-n't be hasty, I--'

"''AMMOND!

"Well, I backed faster and faster, and she follered me right up till at
last I begun to run. Round and round the place we went, me scart for my
life and she fairly frothing with rage. Finally I bust through the door
and put for the woods at a rate that beat Hammond's going all holler.
I never stopped till I got close to the palm tree. Then I whistled and