an' war willin' ter trust her--ye an' me hevin' been through mighty
hard times together. But ye don't--I reckon ye never did. I hev
los' mo' than enny gold mine."

And this sorrow for a vanished faith resolved itself into tears with
which she salted her humble bread.



CHAPTER VIII.

If she had had any relish for triumph, she might have found it in
Birt's astonishment to learn that she understood all the details of
entering land, which had been such a mystery to him.

"'Twar the commonest thing in the worl', whenst I war young, ter
hear 'bout'n folks enterin' land," she said. "But nowadays thar
ain't no talk 'bout'n it sca'cely, 'kase the best an' most o' the
land in the State hev all been tuk up an' entered--'ceptin' mebbe a
trac', hyar an' thar, full o' rock, an' so steep 't ain't wuth
payin' the taxes on."

Simple as she was, she could have given him valuable counsel when it
was sorely needed. He hung about the house later than was his wont,
bringing in the store of wood for her work during the day, and
"packing" the water from the spring, with the impulse in his
attention to these little duties to make what amends he might.

When at last he started for the tanyard, he knew by the sun that he
was long over-due. He walked briskly along the path through the