thing I know was Sally havin' me by the shoulder, and wantun' to know
about gittun' that corn groun' for breakfas'. My! I don't know what she'll
say, when I do git back." Reverdy laughed a fearful pleasure, but his
gaiety was clouded by a shadow projected from the cabin door.

"Well, I mought 'a' knowed it!" a voice at once fond and threatening
called to Reverdy's quailing figure. The owner of the voice was a young
woman unkempt as to the pale hair which escaped from the knot at her neck,
and stuck out there and dangled about her face in spite of the attempts
made to gather it under the control of the high horn comb holding its main
strands together. The lankness of her long figure showed in the calico
wrapper which seemed her sole garment; and her large features were
respectively lank in their way, nose and chin and high cheek bones; her
eyes wabbled in their sockets with the sort of inquiring laughter that
spread her wide, loose mouth. She was barefooted, like Reverdy, on whom
her eyes rested with a sort of burlesque menace, so that she could not
turn them to Mrs. Braile in the attention which manners required of her,
even when she added, "I just 'spicioned that he'd 'a' turned in here,
soon's I smelt your breakfas', Mrs. Braile; and the dear knows whether I
blame him so much, nuther."

"Then you'd better draw up too, Sally," Mrs. Braile said, without
troubling herself to rise from her own chair in glancing toward another
for Mrs. Reverdy.

"Oh, no, I couldn't, Mrs. Braile. I on'y just meant how nice it smelt. I
got me somepin at home before I left, and I ain't a bit hungry."

"Well, then, you eat breakfast for _me_; _I'm_ hungry," the
Squire said. "Sit down! You couldn't get Abel away now, not if you went on