m 
 
 
 
 4> 
 
 v'-'^: 
 
 ■*1 L^ 
 
 
 <'/ l>m 
 
LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 University of Horth Cairolina. 
 
 Endowefl by the Dialectic and Philanthropic 
 Societies. 
 
 Call No. Q., '^ X-J^ _^ VA" W\. 
 
k 
 
 This book is due on the last date stamped 
 below unless recalled sooner. It may be 
 renewed only once and must be brought to 
 the North Carolina Collection for renewal. 
 
 Form No. A-369 
 
 I. • 1 f-.,..''-.!-^^,- 
 
A MAID OF THE MOUNTAINS 
 
Carol 
 
^ 
 
 A MAID OF 
 THE 
 
 MOUNTAINS 
 
 by 
 
 DOROTHY C.PAINE 
 
 'S 
 
 PHILADELPHIAANDLONDON 
 GEORGE WJACOB/- ^COMPANY 
 
Copyright, 1906, by 
 George W. Jacobs & Company 
 Published^ October, igo6 
 
 All rights reserved 
 Printed in U. S. A. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 I. The Accident 9 
 
 II. The Home- Coming . . , . 29 
 
 III. The Surprise o .... 43 
 
 IV. Beth Meets Carol .... 65 
 V. Eueur Eeturns Eiderless . . 89 
 
 VI. The Deserted Cabin . . . 105 
 
 Vn. Harvey Brings Watch to Beth . 127 
 
 VIII. The '' Wicked Woman " . .153 
 
 IX. Don 163 
 
 X. An Angel of Mercy . . . 177 
 
 XL Beth' s Plan 201 
 
 Xn. The Dark Corner . . « . 219 
 
 Xni. Carol's Father . . . . 231 
 
 XIV. The Entertainment . . . 257 
 
 XV. Camping 291 
 
 XVI. Duke is Missing .... 315 
 
 XVII. Northward Bound .... 341 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 Carol 
 
 Fro7itispiece 
 
 *^ Wouldn^t they make nice sweet- 
 hearts for Gustus^^ . . Facing page 16 
 
 *^ How well you look in your cadet 
 
 uniform" . . . . 
 
 "Here comes Gustus, bringing 
 
 your mule" . . . . 
 
 Beth • • • • • 
 
 " Let's make candy " 
 
 "It'll look nice to see chickens 
 about the place " . 
 
 The Davenport Camp . • • 
 
 50 
 
 70 
 148 
 180 
 
 210 
 300 
 
CHAPTER I 
 
 The Accident 
 
 Notwithstanding that Beth Davenport was 
 born North and had lived in Florida only a few- 
 years, yet the Southland was home to her and 
 she loved it very dearly. 
 
 " Oh, you needn't talk," said Harvey Baker, 
 her best boy friend and a great tease, " you're a 
 little Northerner through and through." 
 
 Whereupon her eyes snapped and she even 
 stamped her foot. " I feel like a Southerner and 
 that makes me one," she cried. 
 
 Therefore she was vastly pleased when her 
 father bought a summer home up in the moun- 
 tainous region of North Carolina. By spending 
 the summers as well as the winters South, she 
 hoped to appear more of a Southerner than ever. 
 
 She was a great lover of dogs, owning a 
 number of them, and at first expected to take all 
 her pets with her, but her father vetoed this plan. 
 
 "It's out of the question, Beth, our taking 
 more than one dog to Tremont with us." 
 
 " Then I'll take Duke, of course," she answered, 
 without an instant's hesitation. " There isn't 
 another dog like him in all the world." 
 
1 2 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Bad as it was to leave her pets behind, parting 
 from her friends was even worse, especially as 
 she had little hope of seeing them for six months 
 or more. Saying good-bye to Harvey Baker and 
 to Julia Gordon was the greatest wrench. 
 
 "I — I didn't know how fond I was of them 
 until it came to leaving them for so long," Beth 
 confessed to her sixteen-year-old sister, Marian, 
 after they were settled on the cars. 
 
 Never did a journey seem so long as that one 
 to Beth. First one delay and then another oc- 
 curred, so that at Spartanburg, South Carolina, 
 where there was another wait, this time for the 
 South bound train to pass, they were seven 
 hours behind time, due mostly to severe storms 
 that had caused washouts along the way. 
 
 Hardly had the train come to a standstill before 
 Beth was out on the platform. For a moment 
 she paused, not only for her father to catch up 
 with her, but to look eagerly around. 
 
 The March skv was still of a leaden hue 
 although temporarily the rain had ceased ; but a 
 streak of lightning flashed across the west, fol- 
 lowed by a low, threatening grumble. Yet 
 neither the menacing state of the weather nor 
 the muddy, rain-soaked clay roadway had kept 
 people from congregating around the depot. 
 Clay-bespattered horses and queer vehicles were 
 lined along a railing while the natives themselves 
 clustered around the incoming train. 
 
The Accident 13 
 
 Suddenly Beth realized that the coming sum- 
 mer was to reveal an entirely unfamiliar South 
 to her. The prospect made her heart thrill ; she 
 did so love new experiences. But the mountain- 
 eers were very queer looking people, she thought. 
 
 " Papa," began Beth as she and Mr. Davenport 
 walked toward the baggage car, " I'm so glad 
 we're to spend ttie summer in the mountains. I 
 expect to have just a grand time ! " 
 
 Her father smiled in sympathy with her mood. 
 " You generally do have a good time, Beth." 
 
 The baggageman in charge of Duke was 
 evidently expecting them. He stood in the open 
 doorway holding the dog by a great chain. 
 
 At sight of Beth, Duke tried to leap down to 
 her, but a quick pull brought him to a standstill 
 with his feet in mid-air. 
 
 "Aha, old fellow, I'm on to your tricks," said 
 the man. 
 
 " Please, please let him come out," begged 
 Beth in the manner that very few denied. 
 
 The instant Duke was free, with a leap and a 
 bark, he was beside his young mistress. Then he 
 bounded ahead, looking back longingly inviting 
 her to a frolic with him. Only for a moment 
 did she resist the challenge. She feared she was 
 a little too old for such sport in sight of strangers, 
 but, being still somewhat of a tomboy, she threw 
 prudence to the winds and flew up the platform, 
 after him. 
 
H A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 "Don't be gone long," cautioned Mr. Daven- 
 port. 
 
 " Beth," called a voice from the day coach 
 " Beth ! " 
 
 " Why, Marian, what are you doing in there ? " 
 answered Beth, surprised to see Marian leaning 
 out of an open window. 
 
 " It was stuffy in the sleeper. Bring Duke in 
 here a minute." 
 
 So Beth led Duke into the day coach where 
 she perched herself on the arm of the seat 
 beside her sister, still holding Duke by the collar. 
 
 " It's nice in here. You get mamma, and I'll 
 bring papa back with me, and we'll stay until 
 we reach Tremont," proposed Beth who always 
 enjoyed a change. 
 
 " All right," agreed Marian. 
 
 Duke, growing restless, pulled on his collar, so 
 Beth took him outside once more and let him go 
 free. Whereupon he ran to the end of the plat- 
 form as wildly glad as if hounding game. His 
 feet hardly seemed to touch the platform, and 
 Beth enjoyed chasing after him, her cheeks 
 flushed and her eyes dancing with joy. As she 
 turned to run back, the South bound train came 
 into sight, so she called Duke to her and patting 
 his head said : 
 
 " Now Duke, you've got to go in the baggage 
 car a little while longer. Even if you do hate 
 it in there, you're not sorry you came. You do 
 
The Accident 15 
 
 as I say about everything. You'd do anything 
 for me, wouldn't you ? " 
 
 A wag of his tail in answer made Beth more 
 sure than ever that he knew her meaning. To 
 her he was human in his intelligence, and, in 
 fact, she was not far wrong. 
 
 At the baggage car, Duke drew back quivering 
 as the man started to put on the chain. 
 
 " He'll not mind so much if I put it on him," 
 Beth said, but as she leaned over Duke she 
 noted a bad sore under his collar. 
 
 " Oh, the chain's cut the poor fellow," she said 
 with a catch in her throat. As a usual thing 
 she did not cry easily, but to have those hurt 
 whom she loved, humankind or beast, made her 
 indignant, and then the tears came unbidden. 
 
 " He mustn't be chained again. He'll be very 
 good if he goes free the rest of the way. Prom- 
 ise me you'll be good, Duke." 
 
 He barked in answer, whereupon Beth smiled 
 confidingly at the man. " He says he'll be good. 
 You'll not put that horrid chain on him, will 
 you ? " 
 
 " No, I guess I can let him go without it," the 
 man answered. 
 
 " All aboard," cried the conductor. 
 
 Mr. Davenport came up just then and he and 
 Beth hurried toward their car. " Oh, mamma 
 and Marian were to be in here," said Beth at the 
 steps of the day coach, and skipped ahead con- 
 
1 6 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 ducting her father to where the other two mem- 
 bers of the family were seated. 
 
 " Look, papa," Beth cried with her face 
 pressed eagerly against the glass as the train 
 pulled out into the open country. 
 
 On a low wooden porch in front of a cabin, 
 sat five little colored girls all in a row. The end 
 one grinned and hung her head, and the others 
 too, smiled at the passing train. 
 
 " Wouldn't they make nice sweethearts for 
 Gustus ! " exclaimed Beth. 
 
 Gustus was her especial protege. She it was 
 who had discovered him when a ragged young 
 urchin a number of years before, and ever since 
 he had worked for the Davenports in Florida. 
 
 " Gustus would choose one of the end ones, as 
 they are the jolliest," answered Mr. Davenport. 
 
 " It's already growing so dark that I can 
 hardly see," Beth said a moment later. " I wish 
 we had reached Tremont in the morning as we 
 should have done. I hate so many horrid old 
 delays." Her petulance was only momentary. 
 '* I wonder if Maggie will be down at the train to 
 meet us," and a happy smile illumined her face 
 at the thought of seeing again their old colored 
 servant who had been sent ahead to get their 
 home in readiness for them. 
 
 Once more she tried to peer through the fast 
 gathering darkness, but the windows blurred so 
 that in a few minutes she gave up the attempt. 
 
o 
 
 ■■A 
 
TTie Accident 17 
 
 " It's raining again," she murmured, and, rest- 
 lessness seizing upon her, she flounced across to 
 an opposite seat. Having nothing to amuse her 
 made her so sleepy that she yawned. Then her 
 dark, curly head nodded. In an effort to keep 
 awake, she looked around in hopes that some one 
 would notice her, but no one did. With a sigh, 
 she sank down on the cushioned seat, no longer 
 struggling to keep her eyes open. On and on 
 she slept. 
 
 " The next stop will be ours," said Mr. Daven- 
 port as the brakeman called Landrums. " We'd 
 better go back and get our things together. 
 Shall I waken Beth ? " 
 
 " ISTo, we need not disturb her now. We'll 
 send the porter for her before we reach Tremont." 
 
 " It's stopped raining and the air is fine. I'd 
 like to stay out here a few moments," cried 
 Marian at the door. She walked to the topmost 
 step of the platform which was not vestibuled on 
 this side. 
 
 " Marian, do be careful," called her mother. 
 
 Laughing gayly, Marian looked around. 
 " There isn't a particle of danger." 
 
 Not reassured, Mrs. Davenport stepped to- 
 ward Marian, but because of the intense darkness 
 turned to her husband for help. That instant 
 there was a sudden, awful lurch, as if the train 
 were being thrown from the track. 
 
 " Mamma ! papa I Save me ! " Marian shouted, 
 
1^ 
 
 i8 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 reaching out wildly to save herself, but at the 
 same instant she was pitched headforemost out 
 into the darkness. At the same instant both 
 Mr. and Mrs. Davenport were thrown from their 
 feet by the violence of the shock and hurled to 
 the ground below. 
 
 The sound of hissing steam, a splintering of 
 wood, and a crying out that was doubly terrify- 
 ing in the darkness brought Mr. Davenport to 
 his senses, but in such a confused state of mind 
 that he could not think. He knew there was 
 something he should remember, something aw- 
 ful, but his brain refused to work for the mo- 
 ment. 
 
 " Mary," he murmured from force of habit. 
 He always turned to his wife in time of trouble. 
 The name recalled the accident that had befallen 
 his loved ones, and he rose to a sitting position. 
 
 " Mary — Marian," he called loudly. 
 
 "Here, James, here. Where's Marian?" 
 The words came from the ground not far from 
 his* side. He started to kneel, and though every 
 muscle ached, the physical pain was as nothing to 
 the fear that his wife and children might be in a 
 critical condition. 
 
 " Are you hurt, Mary ? " 
 
 The question recalled his wife to the full mean- 
 ing of the situation. She sprang up entirely for- 
 getful of self. 
 
 " Marian — Beth," she sobbed, so weak her- 
 
The Accident 19 
 
 self that she tottered and would have fallen had 
 not her husband caught her. 
 
 " You are hurt," he cried. 
 
 " Don't think of me," she murmured. " Marian 
 — Beth, we must find them," and the thought of 
 their danger strengthened her. " Marian, Mar-, 
 ian," she called, and began rushing around in 
 frantic search of her child. 
 
 Mr. Davenport drew out his match case, but 
 the wind made it difficult to get a light. With 
 extreme care, he finally succeeded, only to have 
 the light go out without revealing the where- 
 abouts of their lost daughter. 
 
 "Marian, Marian," called Mrs. Davenport, 
 half frenzied. 
 
 " She's here," cried Mr. Davenport suddenly. 
 At the same instant by aid of the flickering 
 match, Mrs. Davenport saw the apparently life- 
 less figure of Marian stretched out on the soft 
 clay not far from the track. She rushed to 
 Marian and raised her close to her own beating 
 heart, as if she hoped to give her child life by 
 the intensity of her love. 
 
 " Speak to me, Marian. Mother is here. 
 Mother will save you." 
 
 "Let her have air. It will bring her to, 
 Mary." 
 
 With a shudder Marian revived. " What has 
 happened ? " she asked. 
 
 No answer was possible, they having no 
 
20 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 more idea than she of the nature of the accident. 
 Assured now that one daughter lived, the mother's 
 heart was anxious yet fearful to know the fate of 
 her baby. " Beth — we must find her, James," 
 she cried, loosening Marian's hold of her arm. 
 
 "Mamma, don't leave me. I'm so afraid," 
 sobbed Marian hysterically. 
 
 " You stay with her, Mary. I'll see what has 
 happened," and with these words Mr. Davenport 
 started toward the track. 
 
 " Marian, can't you come, too ? Just think, 
 
 Beth " Tears so choked Mrs. Davenport 
 
 that she could not finish. 
 
 Marian struggled to her feet, but sank back 
 with a cry. " Oh, my ankle ! It hurts terribly." 
 
 A man carrying a lantern loomed up suddenly 
 through the darkness. 
 
 " What's happened ? Please tell us what's 
 happened ! " cried Mrs. Davenport. 
 
 The man swung the lantern their way. " Why, 
 you're the mother of the girl with the dog ! 
 That dog saved my life. If I hadn't just opened 
 the door to let him out at Tremont, I'd have 
 been in the burning cars this minute. I was 
 thrown " 
 
 " Burning cars ? " repeated Mrs. Davenport 
 with a terrible fear clutching at her throat. 
 " Hurry, hurry, we must save Beth ; she may 
 be in the burning cars," and grasping the man 
 by the arm she started away with him. 
 
The Accident 21 
 
 " Mamma, don't leave me," sobbed Marian, 
 but her cry was unheeded. Then she hobbled 
 forward a step or two, but sank back on the 
 ground, her ankle paining greatly. The beating 
 of her heart almost suffocated her so sore afraid 
 was she on her own account. But when she be- 
 held flames burst up through the darkness, her 
 own terror was overcome in dread for her sister's 
 fate. 
 
 " Beth, dear little sister Beth, only live and I'll 
 never tease you again as long as I live," she 
 sobbed. 
 
 Feeling utterly helpless, she cried as if her 
 heart would break, but all the while the prayer 
 in her heart was, " God save Beth. Guide us to 
 my dear, dear sister." 
 
 Suddenly, something wet and cold touched her 
 hand which caused her to shriek aloud. In the 
 darkness and horror of the hour, she imagined 
 all sorts of wild possibilities. 
 
 " It might be a snake ; it might be a wildcat 
 or " 
 
 A whine and a pawing at her dress made her 
 gasp for very joy. 
 
 " Duke ! Dear old Duke ! " She raised up 
 and hufjo^ed him. '' We must find Beth, Duke. 
 She may be in that burning car there." Her 
 voice was still broken with sobs, and Duke 
 whined as if he shared her fear. 
 
 'N'ever, as long as she lived, did Marian forget 
 
22 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 the awful uncertainty of that time. For a moment 
 she was ho^ieful. By the light of the flames she 
 saw that some of the rear coaches were still on 
 the track and one of them was half on and half 
 off, and from these cars the fortunate sleeping-car 
 passengers were coming forth, bruised and well 
 scared, but with little real injury. 
 
 Marian, forgetful of sprained ankle and bruises, 
 limped over to the nearest man. Duke watched 
 her actions anxiously. 
 
 " Can you tell me where to find the day 
 coach ? " she asked hardly able to speak distinctly 
 because of her sobs. 
 
 " It's tumbled down into the ditch there. The 
 engine, the baggage cars and the day coach all 
 went over, and they're burning up now." 
 
 For an instant Marian feared she was going to 
 faint. Everything went round and round with 
 her, and she experienced such a terribly sickening 
 sensation that she grasped Duke to save herself 
 from falling. 
 
 The man had a family of his own to see to, but 
 his heart went out in sympathy to this young girl 
 whose manner bespoke trouble. 
 
 "Is there anything I can do for you?" he 
 asked kindly. 
 
 "Words were impossible to Marian at that in- 
 stant, besides which she felt that there was no help 
 for Beth, that she was beyond human aid ; so 
 Marian only looked at the man blankly and shook 
 
 !av 
 
The Accident 23 
 
 her head. Whereupou he left her believing that 
 the horror of the wreck accounted for her 
 distress. 
 
 Marian sank down on her knees beside Duke 
 too much overcome for the moment for further 
 action. 
 
 "You'll never see Beth again, Duke," she 
 sobbed. " She's burning to death." 
 
 The dog whined and caught at her dress as 
 if he would have her move on again. Such 
 action aroused a little hope within her. 
 
 *' Perhaps there is some way to save her," she 
 murmured struggling to her feet. " We'll see, 
 Duke. Beth must not burn. We inust save her." 
 
 She still was so weak that if Duke had not 
 walked patiently beside her, letting her cling to 
 him, she would have fallen again before reaching 
 the far side of the track, overlooking the ditch 
 where the wrecked cars lay in such a confused 
 mass that Marian felt more helpless than ever. 
 To find Beth in that awful, burning wreckage 
 seemed an almost hopeless undertaking. 
 
 Duke, she felt, was her only hope ; but so 
 greatly did she dread that he might not under- 
 stand what she wanted that had any other help 
 been offered, she would have discarded the aid 
 of the faithful dog. In fact she looked all 
 around for other help before appealing to him. 
 Then not until he, impatient of delay, caught at 
 her dress again did she make her appeal to him. 
 
 
24 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " Duke," she sobbed and her heart beat so con- 
 vulsively that to tell him what she wished was 
 very hard. " Beth 's somewhere there — in the car 
 — the one where she took you this afternoon. 
 
 Find her, or " Possibly her breaking down 
 
 told more to the faithful dog than words. 
 
 He whined, looked up at her an instant, and 
 then bounded down the ditch. Marian hobbled 
 after him as best she could. She stumbled 
 several times but managed to keep her feet. 
 Duke waited only to assure himself that Marian 
 was following. He gave no heed to the people 
 who were running hither and thither in the 
 darkness with small wit for action. The terror 
 of wreck and fire had overmastered them. Duke, 
 however, seemed to know exactly what was re- 
 quired of him. He hurried so fast toward the 
 dismantled cars that Marian had great difficulty 
 in keeping up with him. Only once did he wait 
 for a word from her. Just before they reached 
 the wreck, he paused for her to overtake him, 
 then he looked from her toward the flames and 
 whined. 
 
 " Yes, Duke, Beth's there. Find Beth, Duke." 
 
 Whereupon, either because he scented the 
 whereabouts of his dear mistress, or because he 
 had been in the car, or, as Marian believed, 
 because a higher power guided him in answer to 
 her praj^er, he made his way direct to the dis- 
 mantled day coach, and, settling down, set up a 
 
The Accident 25 
 
 howl. He knew that they now needed outside 
 aid, but onlv Marian was near to heed. 
 
 " Oh, Duke," she sobbed, " we can't get in there. 
 Beth'll burn. Oh, oh, oh ! " 
 
 For a moment fear paralyzed all action with 
 her. Duke never ceased howling an instant and 
 then it came to her that if she called it might 
 attract attention. 
 
 " Some one come and save my sister ! She's 
 here burning up ! Come ! come ! " Her cries and 
 Duke's persistent howling brought people to the 
 spot. 
 
 " My sister — save her ! " was all Marian could 
 sob. 
 
 " Where is she ? " demanded a man. 
 
 " Eight in there, I think," and she pointed to 
 the burning car. 
 
 " Here's an axe. We'll soon have her out if 
 she's there," and they went to work to save 
 human life if possible. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Davenport, unsuccessful in their 
 search, heard Duke howl and Marian call and 
 rushed to find out the meaning of the summons. 
 
 " Oh, mamma, Beth must be in there. Just 
 see the way Duke acts." Marian pointed ex- 
 citedly toward the man with the axe. 
 
 Close beside him stood Duke, very careful not 
 to get in the way. Now that every effort was 
 being made toward the deliverance of his beloved 
 mistress, his howling ceased, but he waited with 
 
26 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 muscles tense, sniffing the air as if hounding 
 game. 
 
 Mr. Davenport immediately went to help in 
 the work of rescue. Marian clung to her mother 
 and would not loosen her hold. 
 
 " I must go to Beth ; I must go," Mrs. Daven- 
 port cried. 
 
 " There's nothing we can do to help, mamma. 
 Let's ask God to save Beth. He'll not let her 
 burn, I know." 
 
 The girl's faith had a quieting effect on the 
 distracted mother, who, notwithstanding her 
 frenzy of fear, realized that at the present mo- 
 ment she would only be in the way, and so she 
 prayed over and over : 
 
 " God save Beth. God save Beth." 
 
 While the two prayed, their eyes never turned 
 from the burning wreck. Though the men 
 worked with almost superhuman strength, it 
 seemed to Mrs. Davenport that if only she had an 
 axe she could do better than they, notwithstand- 
 ing her physical disadvantage. 
 
 " Oh, why do they not hurry ? " she moaned. 
 " They must hurry." 
 
 Nearer and nearer every instant crept the 
 flames, and if it had not been for the water-soaked 
 condition of the cars, the brave rescuers would 
 have had little chance of success, for even as it 
 was, the flying cinders showered down all around 
 them, sometimes badly scorching them. 
 
The Accident 
 
 27 
 
 " I can't stand the heat," cried the man with 
 the axe. 
 
 " Give it to me,'' demanded Mr. Davenport, but 
 one of the railroad employees seized the axe, and 
 went to work with such herculean strength that 
 Beth's father was content seeing how strong the 
 new man was. 
 
 But the flames too were getting fiercer. They 
 hissed out at the wet wood, and with their deadly, 
 fiery touch licked up the water, after which all 
 within reach was easy prey before their deadly 
 fangs. 
 
 A sudden shout caused Mrs. Davenport's heart 
 almost to stop beating. 
 
 " Thank God ; thank God," she murmured, but 
 the next instant she was less hopeful. 
 
 Even though the car could now be entered, 
 flames so encircled the opening that fear seized 
 upon all present, holding them back from enter- 
 ing the car. 
 
 " We must save Beth," cried the distracted 
 mother, loosening Marian's hold to rush toward 
 the flames. 
 
 But faithful Duke was ahead of her. Into the 
 burning coach he bounded while at his side went 
 Mr. Davenport. Immediately others followed. 
 
 Mrs. Davenport, herself, would have rushed on 
 into the burning car had she not been stopped. 
 
 " Oh, let me go," she implored feeling that she 
 could not endure longer the agony of inaction. 
 
28 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " I must go. Oh, will they ever bring Beth 
 out ? " 
 
 The moments she was kept in suspense seemed 
 an eternity to her. 
 
 Then through the smoke she beheld Mr. Daven- 
 port with faithful Duke close at his heels emerge 
 from the opening. PiX first she was so blinded 
 by tears that she could not see if their quest had 
 been rewarded ; but when she groped her way 
 to them,^ there in her husband's arms was her 
 child. So overjoyed was she at this vision that 
 her little remaining strength almost gave way. 
 Then an overwhelMing fear clutched at her 
 heart. 
 
 " She lives, tell me that she lives," she sobbed. 
 
 Duke turned to Marian and whined. If he 
 could have spoken, he would have said : 
 
 " I knew what you wanted, didn't I ? We 
 found her very near where I led you. I was sure 
 she was there." 
 
 Marian broke down completely. She knelt 
 beside him, and throwing her arms about him 
 sobbed as if her heart would break. 
 
 " Dear, dear Duke, if Beth " she could not 
 
 finish. 
 
 Duke licked her hand as much as to say, 
 " Don't grieve. We've saved her," and Marian 
 was comforted by his silent sympathy. 
 
«r 
 
 < .ft 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 The Home-Coming 
 
 Maggie, the Davenports' trusted servant, had 
 their new home on the hill lighted from top to 
 bottom. Although she had already done every- 
 thing possible to make the house appear most at- 
 tractive, every now and then she poked the. fires 
 afresh and rearranged the flowers in the different 
 rooms. 
 
 " They sholy ought to be hyere," she muttered. 
 " It jes' do seem as how I can't wait to see little 
 missy's face. She'll be dat pleased dat she'll hug 
 me mos' to death. She " 
 
 Footsteps sounded on the porch, but they were 
 muffled. 
 
 Maggie's face beamed. " Dat's Missy Beth, 
 sho'. She's tryin' k> sneak in so's to fool her ole 
 mammy. She's made de odders wait while she 
 tries to fool me. Dat chile am up to all manner 
 ob tricks." She chuckled to herself all the 
 while she was hurrying to swing open the front 
 door, *' I'll pretend not to know her. I'll say, 
 ' See hyere, yo' little stranger, yo' ; what yo' 
 doin' up hyere at dis gran' house ? ' I'll teach 
 her to play tricks on her ole mammy dat jes' 
 dotes on her." 
 
.t 
 
 32 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 As Maggie reached the door a timid knocking 
 sounded upon the outside. She swung the door 
 impressively open, and looking up instead of 
 down began : 
 
 " See hyere, yo' little stranger, yo' ; what 
 
 " I 'lowed as how yer hain't heard. I cum to 
 tell yer," piped out a strange voice trembling 
 both from excitement and bashfulness. 
 
 So dumbfounded was Maggie that she stared 
 down at the stranger without saying a word. 
 
 At first sight the superstitious colored woman 
 felt as if wind and storm had brought an elf to 
 her door. A little thing with shoulders slightly 
 stooped, as if too heavy burdens had been placed 
 thereon, stood looking up appealingly into the 
 black face above, generally most kind but now 
 stern from doubt and disappointment. 
 
 " I done feel creepy when I looked on dat 
 chile firs'," Maggie confessed afterward. "An' 
 it done make me cross to de pooh little thing. I 
 had a predominate " — she meant premonition — 
 "dat somethin' ter'ble was comin', an' I snapped 
 out at her, ' What yo' want ? Who am yo' 
 anyhow ? ' so dat she jes' jumped scared-like an' 
 bust into tears. Den I knowed she wuz human 
 an' I drew her inside to close out de storm." 
 
 Once inside Maggie eyed the child critically. 
 Judged by size, the stranger might have been 
 twelve, but the careworn face, its natural pale- 
 
The Home-Coming 33 
 
 ness intensified now bv the occurrences of the 
 night, made her seem more like a girl of eighteen. 
 Tears were still rolling down from her great blue 
 eyes although she was trying hard to suppress 
 them, and she stood nervously twisting her faded 
 calico dress which clung limply wet to her shiver- 
 ing little figure. 
 
 " Who am yo', chile ? " demanded Maggie 
 again but a little more kindly. 
 
 "I'm Carol." 
 
 " Hump," thought Maggie to herself, " what 
 does a mountain chile want with a gran', high- 
 falutin' name like dat, but I reckon none ob de 
 pooh white trash has much sense noways ! " 
 
 " Have yer hearn of the wreck ? " asked Carol. 
 
 Maggie actually turned pale, and grasped Carol 
 roughly by the arm so that the child winced. 
 
 " Wreck ? What yo' mean, chile ? Speak." 
 
 " The train from Spartanburg " 
 
 That was all Maggie heard. She threw her 
 arms wildly above her head and broke forth into 
 wild lamentation. 
 
 " Oh, my honey lambs, dey am killed shure ! 
 God let dis ole black heart break too, fur if dey 
 am dead dere am nothin' to lib fur. Oh, God, 
 save us, save us." 
 
 " Yer folks may not be hurt," cried Carol 
 sympathetically. " All I know is that they've 
 sent up to Henderson ville fur a train an' doctors. 
 I wuz down huntin' up my paw when I hearn of 
 
34 -A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 the wreck. We uns live down in the hollow on 
 yer place, an' I knowed 'bout yer folks comin' 
 to-night so I runned to tell yer 'bout the wreck." 
 
 At this moment the man who had been sent 
 down to drive the family up the hill returned 
 and confirmed Carol's story. Maggie lost her 
 head completely. She sank down all in a heap 
 on the nearest rocker, and, howling and moaning 
 wildly, swayed back and forth with no thought 
 for action. Carol waited awhile longing to com- 
 fort the poor old black mammy, but finally, see- 
 ing no way in which she could help, went unob- 
 served out into the stormy night. 
 
 She was undecided whether to return home, or 
 to go down to the station, there to wait around 
 to see if she could learn anything more. So 
 interested was she in the family coming to the 
 hill that she forgot that her mother had sent 
 her out to hunt up her father. This interest 
 finally landed her at the station again. 
 
 " If the cars had gone out on the trestle and 
 then over, not a soul would have escaped. I'm 
 told the wreck occurred just the other side of the 
 trestle," Carol heard a man say. 
 
 The trestle was only a mile or two away, Carol 
 knew, and she was tempted to run down to the 
 scene of disaster, but at that instant she saw the 
 village doctor on horseback prepared to ride 
 to the assistance of the wounded. Immediately 
 Carol ran breathlesslv after him. She did not 
 
The Home-Coming 35 
 
 feel basil ful with him because he had been most 
 kind to her own folks on many occasions. 
 
 "Doctah, doctah," she called out in distress 
 for fear she could not overtake him. 
 
 The wind was blowing his way so that he 
 heard her call and recognized the voice, but at 
 first was tempted not to stop. However he liked 
 Carol and so called back impatiently : 
 
 "You must not delay me, Carol, unless it's 
 very important." 
 
 She rushed panting up beside his horse. 
 
 " Hit's 'bout the people on the hill. They're 
 in the wreck, an' " 
 
 "I know," he interrupted hastily. "Mr. 
 Davenport sent word for me to come when they 
 sent word to Spartanburg. I must hurry." 
 
 She longed to ask questions ; to know what to 
 expect, but putting her own curiosity aside, said : 
 
 " Is thar anythin' could be done up at their 
 place ? If they uns air hurt " 
 
 He had not thought of any preparations at 
 this end, but in an instant saw the wisdom of her 
 suggestion. 
 
 " Yes, Carol, you are right. In the first place 
 we need a wagon with a good soft mattress 
 at the station. Do you think you can see to 
 having one there by the time the rescue train 
 returns ? It is very important, but I should not 
 stop to " 
 
 " I'll tell um up at the house, an' we'll have hit 
 
36 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 sure," she interrupted, feeling the importance of 
 the trust. 
 
 " That's a good girl, Carol," the doctor called 
 as he galloped away. 
 
 From the moment Carol had heard that the 
 house on the hill was to be occupied for the 
 summer she had been interested ; and when she 
 found that two girls were coming she was more 
 interested than ever. There had been little time 
 or chance for pleasure in her young life, but she 
 was always dreaming dreams of what might 
 happen. These dreams were about all that gave 
 color to her life, and the coming of the Daven- 
 ports had taken hold of her imagination in a 
 particularly vivid way. In spite of the vast 
 difference in their social position, she had im- 
 agined herself a friend, a great friend, at least of 
 one of the girls. This make-believe friendship 
 was as beautiful as a fairy story to her, but very 
 real also. So when she heard of the wreck, she 
 felt very badly, and now was delighted because 
 she could do something for her unknown little 
 friend. 
 
 She flew back up the hill with a much lighter 
 heart than when she came down. 
 
 She knocked at the door a second time with 
 much more assurance. 
 
 Again Maggie answered her call hoping for 
 news. 
 
 " Yo' hyere 'gin," said Maggie disappointedly. 
 
The Home-Coming 37 
 
 " The doctah sent me," announced Carol breath- 
 lessly, and her face was so much brighter that 
 Maggie herself began to feel more cheerful. 
 
 The colored mammy was delighted to have 
 something to do for her loved ones, and after 
 learning the girl's mission felt more kindly dis- 
 posed toward Carol, although in her thought she 
 had no use for " pooh white trash " as she termed 
 those of Carol's class. Together they attended 
 to getting the wagon and fitting it out as the 
 doctor desired. 
 
 Carol hoped that she might be asked to ride 
 down to the train, but Maggie had no such idea. 
 
 '' I'm goin' down to meet um. Yo' kin run 
 'long now," she said to Carol, and added grudg- 
 ingly, "I has to thank yo' fer what yo' has done." 
 
 *' I was glad to do anythin' fer " Carol al- 
 most said " her " but added " um," remembering 
 that the colored woman did not know about her 
 imagined friendship. 
 
 " She will know in time," she thouo^ht sadlv as 
 Maggie departed without her, " and then she'll be 
 nicer to me." 
 
 To Maggie the hardest part of this trying 
 night was waiting for the rescue train. While 
 she longed to have it come, she dreaded that it 
 might only mean new sorrow to her. And finally 
 when she beheld the gleam of the oncoming 
 engine, it struck new terror to her soul. 
 
 " It do look like an eye ob death," she thought, 
 
38 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 and as the train came to a standstill, and she 
 went aboard, her look was very mournful. But 
 the black, tearful face appeared almost angelic to 
 Mrs. Davenport and Marian. 
 
 " O Maggie," sobbed Marian. 
 
 " Oh, my precious honey lambs. Thank de 
 good Lawd," and Maggie, crying and laughing in 
 the same breath, gathered both Mrs. Davenport 
 and Marian to her motherly bosom. Then she 
 noted Beth, so very white and still that for a 
 moment she thought the child was dead. J^ever 
 had she been so overcome. She gasped for breath 
 and the next instant a piercing cry escaped her. 
 
 " Hush, Maggie, hush," cautioned Mrs. Daven- 
 port. " The doctor says she'll be all right in time. 
 
 Unless " she could not add as he had, *' unless 
 
 there's some internal injury." She would not 
 think anything so terrible possible. 
 
 Maggie knelt beside her little mistress and 
 tears rained down her cheeks. 
 
 " My own honey lamb," she moaned. " Yo' 
 mustn't die. I needs yo', honey." Beth's heavy 
 lids flickered and then slowly opened. No con- 
 scious word had passed her lips since the accident, 
 although she had muttered sometimes incoher- 
 ently. 
 
 "Maggie, my dear good Maggie," she mur- 
 mured and added as if her mind was not dwelling 
 on the accident, " "We've brought Duke with us, 
 Maggie. We'll have lots of fun." 
 
The Home-Coming 39 
 
 " Of co'se, honey lamb," said the old mammy. 
 
 Tenderly Maggie lifted Beth and helped carry 
 her from the train to the mattress provided in 
 the waiting wagon. 
 
 The doctor accompanied the family up the hill 
 to their new home. The home-coming was very 
 different from what had been planned ; but the 
 almost miraculous escape from death, which had 
 been very near them all so short a while back, 
 and faithful Maggie's loving care lightened the 
 gloom. 
 
 Beth was taken up-stairs to the front wing of 
 the house into a large room opening on wide 
 piazzas. 
 
 " This is so nice," she murmured, only half 
 conscious as they placed her on the bed. " I'm , 
 glad we have Maggie." 
 
 Tears, welling up again, trickled down the 
 black cheeks. " Law, honey, not anyways near 
 so glad as I dat I has my honey gal." 
 
 Then the faithful soul, fearful that she might 
 break down completely, hurried over to the fire- 
 place and poked the logs that she had lighted to 
 give such cheer as possible. The flames shot up 
 casting wierd lights over the floor and walls. 
 
 " Dey jes' can't send me out ob dis room dis 
 night," she muttered to herself. " Miss Mary 
 needs rest, an' I'm sholy de one to watch. I'll 
 jes' tell de doctah how it am." 
 
 She waited with beating heart until he was 
 
40 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 through with Beth for the night, and then whis- 
 pered to him, *' Tell Miss Mary, doctah, dat ole 
 Maggie's de one to stay hyere dis night. Yo's 
 seen, hasn't yo', dat I'se to be trusted ? " 
 
 He nodded his head in quick approval, having 
 noted how she anticipated his needs. 
 
 " Mrs. Davenport, your old mammy wishes to 
 watch your child to-night, and I approve," he 
 said, and when he saw that she Avas about to 
 demur added, " It is positively necessary for you 
 to husband your strength. Beth will need care 
 for the next month or so." 
 
 Mrs. Davenport's heart sank. " A month or 
 two for my active Beth," she thought. " It will 
 be terrible for her, but then it might have been 
 so much worse. I suppose the doctor's right 
 about Maggie's watching to-night. I know she'll 
 take as good care of Beth as I would myself." 
 
 " All right, Maggie," she said aloud, "you may 
 watch Beth." 
 
 Maggie's face expressed her pleasure. She 
 quietly moved over to the bed and seated herself. 
 
 " De honey lamb is sleepin'," she whispered to 
 Mrs. Davenport. " She'll sholy be bettah when 
 she wakes." 
 
 " And you'll call me, Maggie, if she wants 
 me?" 
 
 " Of co'se, an' yo' nebbeh knowed me to break 
 my word, has yo' ? " 
 
 " No, never, Maggie. God bless and keep you, 
 
The Home-Coming 41 
 
 my precious," she murmured as she stooped over 
 Beth. Then she turned to go. 
 
 '' Maggie," she whispered at the door, " Duke's 
 here. Perhaps you'd better take him down to the 
 kitchen and lock him up for the night. He 
 might disturb Beth." 
 
 After her departure, Maggie hesitated. " It 
 do seem a perfect shame aftah he's been an' saved 
 her life. He won't 'sturb her, I knows. Didn't 
 he watch outside her door down in Floridah 
 when she had de fevah, an' nebbeh onct 'sturbed 
 her ? No 'deed, for she liked him dar. I reckon 
 Miss Mary done disrecoUected dat for if she 
 hadn't, she'd have let him stay, too." Where- 
 upon she reseated herself. 
 
 An hour passed in perfect silence. Then a 
 quiet pawing at the door announced that Duke 
 had wakened. Maggie rose to quiet him. 
 Beth's eyes opened. They appeared more natu- 
 ral looking than at any time since the accident. 
 
 " What is it, Maggie ? " 
 
 Maggie's heart fluttered. She felt guilty. " I 
 was done tole to lock Duke in de kitchen for de 
 night, but I jes' hadn't de heart to do it. I'll go 
 an' lock him up dis minute, howsomever." 
 
 " No, no, Maggie. I want him in here. Bring 
 him in." 
 
 Maggie gladly did as bidden. 
 
 " Now, Duke, yo' mustn't bodder her," she 
 cautioned at the threshold. 
 
42 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 He eyed her reproachfully, gave one loving 
 look toward the bed, then stalked majestically 
 over to the fireplace, and settled down there for 
 the night. 
 
 " He's a dear fellow, Maggie," Beth murmured, 
 " a very dear dog. I love him." 
 
 " She done love ev'body an' ev'thin'," thought 
 Maggie as her charge sank back to sleep. " She's 
 de lovin'est chile I ebbeh knowed. If she'd been 
 killed dis ole heart ob mine done cracked in a 
 thousan' pieces. Dat's what." 
 
 At that very moment Duke looked around at 
 her, and Maggie noted an unusually soft glow in 
 his eyes. 
 
 " He's thinkin' de same thing, I reckon. I jes' 
 specs he loves her as much as I do, if dat's possi- 
 ble." 
 
CHAPTER III 
 The Surprise 
 
 Every hillside and valley around Tremont was 
 abloom. The May air had a June balminess 
 which, as it floated through the open windows to 
 Beth, made her more restless than ever. 
 
 " Tell me about the mountains and the 
 flowers," she demanded wearily of Marian who 
 was seated in the room with her. " It's dread- 
 ful to be in here when it's so beautiful outside," 
 and she sank down among the pillows piled up 
 back of her and sighed. Then she shook her 
 head so vigorously that her curls of brown flew 
 all about her flushed face in wildest confusion. 
 " I suppose I ought to be thankful every minute 
 that I wasn't killed, or that I didn't lose my legs 
 or something else even more dreadful. Am I a 
 terribly ungrateful girl, Marian ? " 
 
 " ]^o, dear ; I think you bear being shut up 
 beautifully. We all think so." 
 
 Beth's heart lightened although she felt unde- 
 serving of such unstinted praise. " Let me see. 
 How long is it since I was hurt ? Over a month, 
 isn't it ? " 
 
 " Yes, it was the last of March when we 
 came." 
 
4^ A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " And I'm to be taken down-stairs to-morrow, 
 but I'm afraid it will be some time before I'm 
 out again. This last waiting is the hardest. I 
 wish Harvey and Julia were here. It wouldn't 
 be so bad then." 
 
 Marian smiled. " How many times have you 
 wished for them since you were hurt ? " 
 
 Beth looked over at her whimsicallv. " I 
 couldn't possibly count. It's been many more 
 times than I've told." 
 
 In thinking of her two friends, Beth forgot 
 the outside world, and was so quiet that Marian 
 thought she had fallen asleep. So thought some 
 one else listening outside. The door opened very 
 cautiously. 
 
 " Is she asleep, Marian ? " came in a whisper 
 from the half open door. 
 
 Marian rushed over to the door, for a glance 
 at the bed had shown her that Beth was still 
 awake. 
 
 " Hush, hush," Beth heard her sister caution, 
 and then Marian slammed the door behind her. 
 
 Beth was indignant and also wildly curious. 
 " Marian, come back," she called. 
 
 " Yes, Beth, I'm coming in a minute," but she 
 waited so long that Beth again called her. 
 
 " Marian, do come. I think it's awfully mean 
 of you to leave me here alone ! " 
 
 In answer Marian opened the door, but only 
 half way. 
 
The Surprise 47 
 
 ^* Who's with you, Marian ? " 
 
 Marian made no answer, but when she reen- 
 
 V^tered the room her face was unusually flushed, 
 
 and her eyes sparkled. A smile hovering around 
 
 her mouth made Beth still more curious, but she 
 
 was given no chance to repeat her question. 
 
 " Beth, you ought to be asleep this minute." 
 
 " She doesn't want to answer. There is some- 
 thing going on," thought Beth. Then she said 
 aloud, " Marian, who " 
 
 " Mamma'll blame me for keeping you awake," 
 Marian rattled on choosing a seat with her back 
 toward Beth. " If you keep on getting excited 
 over nothing like you do, you'll not be able to go 
 down-stairs to-morrow, and " 
 
 Beth raised herself on her elbow. Her eyes 
 sparkled too. She did not intend to be fooled 
 another minute. 
 
 " Marian, it sounded like Julia talking." 
 
 " Why, Beth, the very idea," Marian only half 
 turned her head. " Once to-day you thought you 
 heard Harvey talking, and now you imagine you 
 hear Julia. You've them so on your mind that 
 you even take mamma for them." 
 
 " Was mamma really and truly out there just 
 now ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Oh," sighed Beth disappointedly. "Well," 
 settling herself once more on the pillows, " tell 
 me about the mountains, and I'll go to sleep." 
 
48 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 ^' I didn't have to tell there was some one else 
 out there too," thought Marian. She now faced 
 Beth. " You've already heard all about papa's 
 and my trip up Tremont Mountain." 
 
 " Named after a revolutionary hero," supple- 
 mented Beth sleepily. 
 
 " Oh, Beth, you should have been with us yester- 
 day afternoon," Marian's eyes sparkled. " We 
 went only a short way, but it w^as the nicest ride 
 I ever had. Did I tell you how the Rocky Spur 
 road curves around and around ? At first you see 
 the mountains only on the right, but below is the 
 railroad winding up the valley. We took short 
 cuts which were so steep that I held my breath 
 for fear the horses would tumble backward. The 
 valley beyond Piney was suddenly right before 
 us, but I didn't look down much, for towering 
 beyond us was Hogback." 
 
 Beth's eyes that were beginning to droop 
 opened wide. " I can't help smiling whenever I 
 hear that name. Does the mountain really look 
 like a hog's back ? " 
 
 " If you've a good imagination. But, Beth, 
 you're not going to sleep, as you promised." 
 
 " I'm more anxious to see Melrose Falls than 
 any place else. You know papa promised that 
 we may camp there when I'm well." 
 
 So happy was Beth thinking of camp life that 
 she soon fell asleep. Then she dreamed a beauti- 
 ful dream. Her room was transformed into a 
 
The Surprise 49 
 
 bower of green — almost like the woods for which 
 she so pined. The rustling of the boughs, the 
 refreshing smell of evergreen and wild flowers 
 enravished her senses. Kever had she experi- 
 enced such a real dream. 
 
 "It's strange,'' she thought half awake, but 
 with her eyes still closed, " I'm awake now, and I 
 still smell evergreens and flowers." 
 
 " She's stirring. We must hide in the closet 
 and march out as planned." It was Marian's 
 whispering that Beth heard. People on tiptoe 
 seemed to be flying from different corners of the 
 room, and some one giggled. 
 
 "Just like Julia. I'm not awake," decided 
 Beth, and wishing for her dream to go on as long 
 as possible she would not try to open her eyes. 
 She almost feared to stir again so intent was she 
 on having the dream continue. 
 
 For a moment all was still. Then once more 
 there was a tiptoeing. 
 
 " She's falling asleep again. What shall we 
 do ? Shall we waken her ? " 
 
 The voice was surely Harvey's, and Beth 
 wished she could waken and really see him. 
 
 "Let's pretend that she's a fairy queen. It 
 would please her." The voice belonged to Julia 
 now, and the muffled tread of feet came nearer. 
 
 " Are you talking about me ? I do think it 
 would be great fun to be a fairy queen." Beth 
 said the words aloud without really intending to 
 
50 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 do so, but everything was so very real that just 
 thinking of things did not suit the occasion. 
 
 " We all come to serve Beth, our fairy queen," 
 and with the chorus of voices Duke barked, which 
 was so unmistakably lifelike that Beth opened 
 her eves. Then she rubbed them vio:orouslv. 
 
 " Oh, Julia ! Oh, Harvey ! " she gasped. " Am 
 I really and truly awake ? Are you really you ? 
 Oh, if only it's true ! Come here and let me feel 
 you to make sure.'' 
 
 A girl and a boy, about thirteen and fourteen 
 years of age, were almost within reach. Harvey, 
 the boy, was looking right at Beth with his 
 honest, kindly eyes aglow with affection. The 
 girl, Julia, was acting just like her own dear self. 
 Hardly still an instant, she danced around and 
 around the bed, and clapped her hands, crying : 
 
 " It's a perfect surprise ! You like being a 
 fairy queen, don't you, Beth ? " 
 
 Beth held her arms wide open. " Come over 
 here, dear, and I'll show you how much I like 
 it." 
 
 Julia rushed over and kissed her, not once, but 
 a dozen times. And Harvey squeezed her hand so 
 hard that it actually ached, but she did not mind 
 in the least. 
 
 Beyond Harvey and Julia, Beth saw her 
 mother and father and sister Marian, with Duke 
 by her side. 
 
 She smiled at them all lovingly, then her eyes 
 
" How Well You Look in Your Cadet Uniform 
 
The Surprise 51 
 
 took in the transformation that had been wrought 
 in her room. In one short hour it had been 
 converted into a perfect bower, just like her 
 dream. Great garlands of evergreens were fes- 
 tooned all over the wall ; luxuriant boughs of 
 hardy rhododendrons, and daintier ones of moun- 
 tain laurel had been placed wherever there was 
 room ; in vases were wild honeysuckle and other 
 sweet-scented flowers. There were no lamps 
 lighted, but the rosy glow from the declining sun 
 made everything more fairy like. 
 
 " Oh, oh ! " sighed Beth ecstatically. " I can 
 hardly believe even yet that I'm awake." 
 
 " Of course you're awake," cried Marian, her 
 tone almost as joyful as Beth's. " Haven't you 
 made me almost lie to you two or three times to- 
 day ? You did hear Harvey, and Julia was out- 
 side with mamma, but I wouldn't tell you al- 
 though I was just dying to. We'd worked so 
 hard to surprise you, it wouldn't have been fair 
 to spoil the others' fun, especially when Harvey 
 and Julia had come so far to visit us." 
 
 Mention of her two friends drew Beth's eyes to 
 them once more. '' Harvey Baker, how you've 
 grown," she exclaimed, her eyes glistening. She 
 was hysterically happy. " You've grown an inch 
 or two in the last month and how well you look 
 in your cadet uniform." 
 
 He drew himself up to his full height. 
 "What do you expect, young lady, that we'll 
 
52 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 stand still? You're not in your teens like the 
 rest of us. You know I attend a Military 
 Academy now." 
 
 She made a face at him. " Well, I don't 
 care, I'm growing, too. You'll be surprised 
 when you see me stand up. I'm very much 
 taller than Julia, even if she is a year older 
 than I." 
 
 " Never mind," retorted Julia, " when you're 
 ready to climb trees again, you'll envy me. 
 Being small helps me to get around faster." 
 
 " No one will deny that," agreed Marian. 
 " You should have seen her flying around, Beth, 
 getting this room ready. She wasn't still an in- 
 stant." 
 
 " Neither were the rest of you," declared 
 loyal Julia. 
 
 " Whose idea was it ? " questioned Beth. 
 
 " Your mother's," answered Mr. Davenport, 
 coming forward. 
 
 " Oh, mamma," sighed Beth rapturously, cast- 
 ing a very loving look her mother's way. 
 
 " You mustn't give me all the credit, Beth. 
 Just wait until you see the presents they all have 
 for you." 
 
 ** Presents ? Presents for me ? I don't know 
 why so many grand things are happening. It's 
 not my birthda3\" 
 
 " We're celebrating because we're so thankful 
 that you were spared to us and because you'll 
 
The Surprise 53 
 
 soon be up now. That's even better than a 
 birthday." 
 
 " 'Cose it am, Missy Beth," cried a voice in the 
 doorway. 
 
 Beth turned suddenly, doubtful of her hearing. 
 
 " Gustus— you, too ? It's really too good to 
 
 be true." 
 
 The darky lad in the doorway swelled visibly 
 with pride. " No, it ain't. Missy Beth. Miss 
 Mary she sent foh me 'cose my little mistress 
 done be spared from de jaws ob death. She 
 'lowed as how you'd be pleased." 
 
 " I'm delighted, Gustus." 
 
 His eyes sparkled. " I done fetched somethin' 
 all de way from Florida foh yo'. I'll run an* 
 fetch it here." 
 
 *' I must bring in my present, too," cried 
 Julia, rushing after him. 
 
 " Here's your doll. I made the new clothes 
 for it," said Marian handing Beth's doll to her. 
 But her ladyship appeared so fine that for a 
 moment Beth hardly recognized her old play- 
 mate. She examined the finery reverently, too 
 pleased to speak. Then she cried out : 
 
 " Oh, — a broadcloth coat with real fur ! A 
 hat with feathers ! A pink silk dress, and pink 
 stockings and shoes to match ! Oh, and such 
 fine underclothing I never saw ! Marian, you're 
 the best sister in all the world." 
 
 " See what Harvey has in his pocket for you," 
 
54 -^ ilfarc/ of the Mountains 
 
 cried Marian, who was as greatly excited as 
 Beth. She was wild for the time to come to 
 speak of her father's present, but that was to be 
 reserved for the last. 
 
 Beth's eyes were now riveted on Harvey's 
 coat pocket. " What's in there, Harvey ? It's 
 moving." 
 
 He took from the pocket in question a tiny 
 gray squirrel, and placed it in his little friend's 
 keeping. 
 
 Beth ran her hand lovingly over the soft fur 
 of her new pet. " Oh, Harvey, I've always 
 wanted a squirrel. How did you know ? " 
 
 " I remembered your once saying you wanted 
 one." 
 
 The squirrel accepted Beth as his mistress 
 quite readily, and snuggled down in the bed- 
 clothes beside her. 
 
 Beth's attention was attracted from the squir- 
 rel by the entrance of Julia with a covered cage 
 in her hand. Quickly the cover was removed, 
 and a burst of sweet song followed. 
 
 " A mocking-bird, how lovely ! " cried Beth 
 rapturously. " It makes me feel as if I were 
 back in Florida." 
 
 " An' dis kitten ob yo's dat I fetched all de way 
 from Florida'll make it seem moah homelike," 
 cried Gust us, who had followed behind Julia. 
 
 " How nice of you, Gustus." She really was 
 pleased with the kitten, but she had so much to 
 
TTie Surprise SS 
 
 think about that she had no time to play with 
 it now. In the new excitement, she forgot for a 
 moment about the squirrel. But when she 
 started to put the kitten under the covers, not 
 knowing how else to dispose of it, the squirrel 
 awakened, so greatly frightened that it sprang 
 out and ran to the foot of the bed where it 
 perched on the foot-board, chattering and show- 
 ing its teeth. Gustus sprang after it, but at his 
 approach the squirrel darted farther away, land- 
 ing on top of a rocker. Gustus still pursued, 
 whereupon the squirrel sprang over on Harvey's 
 shoulder, and, turning upon Gustus, showed its 
 teeth even more than it had a moment before, 
 scolding away in true squirrel fashion. 
 
 Gustus's eyes rolled until only the whites 
 showed, and his sides shook from good-natured 
 laughter. 
 
 "Ho, ho, ho ! How do dat little imp know Pse 
 black? It wouldn't be 'fraid ob me if I wuz white 
 like you all. Jes' hear 'im. Him says, ' Gustus, 
 yoh black niggah yob, don't yoh come near me. 
 I don't like yo' black skin. I likes white folks.' " 
 
 Beth feared that Le might feel hurt notwith- 
 standing his laughter. 
 
 " He'll get used to you soon, Gustus." 
 
 *' Get used to a black boy like me ? I reckon 
 not. Missy Beth. 'Pears like dey nebbeh do like 
 black folks. Ho, ho, ho ! Jes' hear 'im keep on 
 scoldin'." 
 
56 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 The opening of the door interrupted him. 
 Maggie poked her turbaned head into the room. 
 
 " Suppeh's all ready, if yoh all's ready foh it." 
 
 Beth's face fell. She hated to have them leave 
 her even for a short while, but she would utter 
 no word of complaint because they had all been 
 so good to her. She turned her face toward the 
 wall so that they might not see that she felt 
 badly. 
 
 Quite a bustling in the room followed. Curi- 
 osity overcame Beth's momentary bad feelings, 
 and she looked to see what was going on. Two 
 tables, already set for supper, had been brought 
 in and placed together. Yases of flowers, real 
 roses brought all the way from Florida, adorned 
 the tables, and chairs were being drawn around 
 the festal board. 
 
 " Oh, are you going to eat in here ? " ques- 
 tioned Beth. 
 
 "Yes, 'deed, honey," answered Maggie who 
 had just reentered, carrying a great platter of 
 fried chicken. Behind her came Gustus with the 
 sweet potatoes and hot biscuits. " I 'lowed as 
 how our little queen'd like* to have company for 
 supper dis night." 
 
 " I guess I really am a fairy queen," murmured 
 Beth as the others seated themselves. For a mo- 
 ment or two she was in such an ecstatic frame of 
 mind that she hardly realized that she was still 
 on earth. Then as the covers were lifted from 
 
The Surprise 57 
 
 the steaming dishes, earthly desires once more 
 took possession of her. 
 
 " I'm hungry, I want something to eat," she 
 called. 
 
 "Yoh done has de fust helpin', honey," de- 
 clared Maggie, carrying a tray full of dainties 
 that she had prepared herself, and which she 
 placed on a pillow in front of Beth. Never did 
 Beth enjoy a meal more than the one that night. 
 A single incident alone marred their pleasure, 
 and even that had its ludicrous side. 
 
 " Look out, Mary, there's one of those yellow 
 jackets that stung you this noon," said Mr. Daven- 
 port as the table was being cleared for dessert. 
 *' Gustus, try to drive it out." 
 
 Gustus, who was waiting on the table, had 
 just removed an almost empty plate of honey, 
 and, without stopping to set it down, picked up a 
 duster with his free hand, and began chasing the 
 wasp. 
 
 " You'd better look out, Gustus, it may sting 
 you, and then you'll find it no laughing matter 
 as you did when I was stung this noon." 
 
 "Were you stung, mamma, and did Gustus 
 laugh ? " 
 
 " Yes, Beth. I didn't tell you about it at the 
 time because we didn't want you to know that 
 Gustus was here." 
 
 Gustus stopped his wild chase a moment. His 
 thick lips expanded into a great smile. " She 
 
58 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 vvuz powerful funny, Missy Beth. I jes' couldn't 
 keep from laughin'." 
 
 " Gustus was the funny one, Beth," declared 
 Marian, loyal to her mother. " Papa sent him 
 out for some mud as it's good for a hornet's sting, 
 and Gustus, after being gone the longest time, 
 came back without any. He said he couldn't 
 find any mud ; he hadn't sense enough to know 
 that dirt and water make mud." 
 
 To escape the laugh that followed, Gustus 
 rushed from the room. 
 
 " I think he succeeded in getting the hornet 
 out. It's nowhere around," said Mr. Davenport. 
 
 " Ow, ow, ow," yelled Gustus outside. Then 
 he hopped back into the room, and danced round 
 and round. Great tears rolled down his black 
 face, and his thick upper lip was fast swelling to 
 twice its size. 
 
 " It's jedgment on me," he cried between his 
 howls. " I jes' shouldn't have laughed at Miss 
 Mary. I'll nebbeh, nebbeh, so long as I lib, laugh 
 at any one in mis'ry agin. Ret'bution is sure to 
 overtake one, de minister done tole us dat, an' I 
 ought have known bettah dan to have laughed. 
 Ow, ow ! " 
 
 " It's honey that took the hornet to your lips. 
 You shouldn't have licked the dish," admonished 
 Mrs. Davenport. 
 
 He ceased his capers for a moment. " I 'clah 
 to goodness dat " 
 
The Surprise 59 
 
 " Gustus, be careful," warned Beth. " Your 
 lips are sticky still, and it's worse to lie than it is 
 to laugh." 
 
 He rolled his eyes tragically. "Well — well, 
 Missy Beth, I don't jes' see how it did happen, 
 but some way, 'fob I knowed it, dat dish did get 
 up some disaccountable way right by my mouth, 
 an' I did taste somethin' like honey. De dish 
 wuz mos' empty anyhow." 
 
 Mrs. Davenport, from her own experience, knew 
 that Gustus must really be suffering. " You've 
 been punished sufficiently, I think, so that you'll 
 not let dishes get up to your lips again, Gustus. 
 Go down now and see if Maggie can suggest 
 anything to help you. We'll wait a moment for 
 the ice cream and cake." 
 
 While waiting, Beth propped her doll up beside 
 her. The kitten had fallen asleep at the foot 
 of the bed ; the squirrel held undisputed sway 
 under the bedclothes ; the mocking-bird slept in 
 its cage, and Duke was patiently waiting for 
 Maggie to call him below for his supper. Beth 
 smiled from sheer happiness. 
 
 " I have a pretty fine family now, haven't I ? 
 I don't believe any one has any nicer pets." 
 
 Marian looked toward her father who nodded 
 his head as if giving her permission to say some- 
 thing. 
 
 "You have one pet, Beth, that you know 
 nothing about. Ask papa about it." 
 
6o A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Beth looked inquiringly toward her father. 
 " Have you something for me, too ? " 
 
 " Yes, dear," he assured her with a loving 
 glance. 
 
 " Guess what it is, Beth," cried Marian and 
 Harvey and Julia almost in the same breath. To 
 their minds this was the great surprise of the 
 evening. 
 
 Beth shook her head. "I can't guess. It 
 seems to me I have everything in the world I 
 want." 
 
 " You'll like it best of all. It will carry you 
 up the mountains when you're well." 
 
 " Not a pony ! " cried Beth, her heart thump- 
 ing wildly. 
 
 "No, not a pony, but " Mr. Davenport 
 
 drew from his pocket a picture. " Well, you can 
 see for yourself what it is. We couldn't bring it 
 in to you, so I took a picture of it as Gustus was 
 leading it home." 
 
 At first glance Beth was disappointed. A 
 saucy, sturdy mule with ears flopped back was 
 what she saw. 
 
 "In time I may grow to love you, but a 
 pony would have been much nicer," was her 
 first thought. 
 
 It was funny, but in the picture the mule 
 seemed to be disgusted at the idea of her liking 
 a pony, better than his fine, sturdy self. She 
 even felt as if he was winking at her, and from 
 
The Surprise 61 
 
 that moment, she loved her new possession. The 
 very impudence of his bearing won her heart. 
 She hardly knew how to thank her father, and 
 so she made him come over to her and kissed 
 him over and over again, murmuring, " Oh, you 
 dear, good papa ; you dear, good papa ! " 
 
 *' So you like him even before you know the 
 reason why I bought a mule instead of a pony ? 
 A mule, being so sure footed, will carry you 
 much more safely over the mountains." 
 
 Maggie now entered with the ice cream. 
 
 " How's Gustus ? " asked Beth. 
 
 "I'se done 'im all up, an' yet he jes' keeps 
 howlin' an' howlin', an' I can't noways stop 'im." 
 
 " Send him up here, and I'll give him a dish of 
 cream. That'll stop him if anything will," de- 
 clared Beth. 
 
 " You all coddle dat chile dreadful," muttered 
 Mao^Me as she left the room. Ever since Gustus 
 had been taken into the Davenport family, she 
 had disciplined the colored boy, whereby he had 
 profited greatly. She considered it her duty to 
 appear more strict than she really was. 
 
 " Yoh all'll be sho to laugh," sobbed a muffled 
 voice outside the door a moment later. 
 
 " We'll remember how retribution overtakes 
 one and not laugh," promised Mr. Davenport. 
 
 The door opened very cautiously, and Gustus, 
 more subdued than they had ever seen him, 
 entered quietly. His mouth and one eye were 
 
62 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 covered by a cloth tied in a bow-knot at the back 
 of his woolly head. Nobody laughed, but Beth 
 had to hide her head under the bedclothes to 
 keep from it, and the others hardly dared look at 
 him. 
 
 " Missy Beth, is yoh laughin' ? " 
 
 She emerged from under the covers. "I 
 wouldn't laugh for the world, Gustus," but a 
 quiver about the corners of her mouth was not to 
 be repressed. 
 
 Even Gustus indulged in a sickly smile. "I 
 reckon I am powerful funny wid dis cloth, but it 
 kinder 'stracts my 'tention. 'Stead ob feelin' all 
 mouth as I did, I feels all cloth. I jes' couldn't 
 do widout it now." 
 
 There was a merry twinkle in Beth's eyes. 
 " I suppose you couldn't take it off even to eat a 
 dish of ice cream." 
 
 " Ice cream," repeated Gustus, " ice cream ? 
 Dat'd 'stract my 'tention more'n any cloth in de 
 world," and with the words he loosened the 
 bandage revealing his swollen lip. " Does I look 
 moah funny now ? " 
 
 Beth could not answer truthfully without hurt- 
 ing his feelings, so she said, " Don't think about 
 your lip, Gustus. Just take that plate of cream 
 from papa, and think about that." 
 
 This was pleasing advice to him. He chose 
 a seat in the far corner of the room, and gradu- 
 
The Surprise 63 
 
 ally, under the benign influence of the cream, 
 content once more took possession of him. 
 
 " Missy Beth, if it hadn't been foh dat imp ob 
 darkness, dis'd been one ob de happiest days ob 
 my life," he muttered as the last drop of the 
 cream trickled down his throat, " but I don't 
 even mind de pain now. I jes' 'members how 
 scrumptious it am to be wid yoh all. An' I'll be 
 mighty careful not to laugh agin at nobody, 
 foh if one laughs, it's jes' as de minister 'lowed, 
 ret'bution's sho to follow." 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 Beth Meets Carol 
 
 On the side porch in a hammock, Beth 
 propped herself on her elbow for a better view of 
 the mountains. The sun was shining, but clouds 
 were settling over the tallest ridges while the blue 
 haze was deepening. Seen thus the mountains 
 were even grander than Beth had expected. She 
 drew in a very deep breath, almost too happy for 
 words in which to express her joy over being out- 
 doors once more in such a grand world. 
 
 " I hope the clouds don't mean rain," exclaimed 
 Marian, anxiously scanning the sky. 
 
 ^' Here comes Gustus," called Julia who had 
 skipped down to the foot of the piazza steps. 
 " He's bringing your mule for you to see." 
 
 The next instant Beth beheld her mule for the 
 first time. 
 
 '' Ain't he scrumptious. Missy Beth ? " called 
 Gustus, duly proud of the mule's glossy coat of 
 brown that fairly glistened from much brushing. 
 To make a good impression, Gustus switched the 
 mule with a whip. 
 
 Not understanding the good intentions of 
 Gustus, his lordship resented the indignity by 
 letting fly a pair of hind heels which so surprised 
 
68 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Gustus that he almost loosened his hold on the 
 mule. The next moment he chuckled. 
 
 " Ho, ho ! He sairtainly am quick in his 
 hinders, Missy Beth. I'd nebbeh trust my skin 
 'hind him." 
 
 ^' He didn't like your whipping him for noth- 
 ing," answered Beth reprovingly. 
 
 " He done must have some style 'bout him," 
 muttered Gustus, giving his charge another sly 
 cut with the whip. This time the mule not 
 only let his heels fly, but nipped viciously at 
 Gustus who had to dodge to escape the animal's 
 sharp teeth. 
 
 " Gustus, you mustn't treat my mule that way," 
 said Beth. Then after a moment she added, 
 " What's his name ? " 
 
 He ran his fingers through his woolly locks. 
 " Ain't no name dat I knows of. Keckon yo'll 
 have to give 'im one. Missy Beth." 
 
 " How would Kicker do ? " inquired Harvey 
 who had come out in time to witness the mule's 
 acrobatic ability. 
 
 " It wasn't his fault. I'll not have my mule 
 slandered," cried Beth. 
 
 " He knows how to kick anyway. I think 
 Kicker a good name," persisted Harvey as much 
 to tease as in earnest. 
 
 " And if you didn't want people to know your 
 meaning, you might call him Rueur," proposed 
 Marian, who was studying French. " Just the 
 
Beth Meets Carol 69 
 
 other day, I read in a story of a * mulet rueur ' 
 and found that it meant a kicking mule." 
 
 " I rather like the name, and have half a mind 
 to call him — what did you say kicker was in 
 French, Marian ? " 
 
 " Eueur." 
 
 " So you agree, Beth, that Kueur is a kicker ? " 
 questioned Harvey in hopes of making her eyes 
 flash. 
 
 " I didn't really say I'd name him Eueur, but 
 if I do, it's not for the reason you think." 
 
 *' Why is Kueur — the name seems to have fas- 
 tened upon his muleship already — why do you 
 call him JRueur then ? " He fully expected one 
 of her quaint conceits, and was not disappointed. 
 
 " I call him Rueur — he really is named now — 
 because he is to carry me all around the country 
 and perchance we'll come across strange adven- 
 tures together." She was garbing her ideas in 
 the manner of the legends that had been read 
 her during her imprisonment. " And then 
 always at the right moment my Knight Rueur 
 is to kick at the vvrong, but never at the right." 
 When she saw that her friends were smiling 
 over her conceit, she added, " Well it was at the 
 wrong he did kick just now. You can't deny it, 
 and I'll wager I know Knight Rueur's character 
 better than you do. I wish I could go forth on 
 Ruenr this very minute." 
 
 Harvey and Marian exchanged glances by 
 
yo A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 which means Beth knew there was something 
 unusual in the air. 
 
 " What are you two up to ? " 
 
 " If you don't mind, Beth, Harvey and I are 
 going out riding this afternoon," answered Mar- 
 ian slightly hesitating. 
 
 Beth looked perplexed. "Not both of you on 
 Rueur ? " 
 
 " No, indeed. Papa bought two fine saddle 
 horses. He and mamma both expect to ride. 
 Everybody does up here. I'm going to tease 
 papa to buy me a mule." 
 
 " You can ride Rueur whenever you want, 
 Marian." Try as hard as she would a lump 
 would rise in her throat so that her voice 
 showed her emotion. 
 
 " If you mind, we'll stay home," offered 
 Harvev. 
 
 " No, no, you must go," she answered, gulping 
 down the disquieting lump. " It's only that I 
 want to ride so much myself, but your staying 
 home wouldn't let me go." 
 
 " I'm to stay with you, Beth," said Julia. 
 
 For a moment Beth had a struggle to be un- 
 selfish. The afternoon without any of them did 
 loom up rather forlorn, and she believed that she 
 and Julia together could have a fine time ; but, 
 judging by herself, she knew that Julia would 
 much rather ride, so she said resolutely : 
 
 " Julia, you must go with Marian and Harvey. 
 
Beth Meets Carol 71 
 
 You shall ride Rueur. No, I'll not listen to a 
 word. Go and get ready this minute. I'm 
 queen, you know, and must be obeyed. Bring 
 my squirrel back to keep me company, and I 
 want to see you start." 
 
 Not to spoil their pleasure, she appeared smil- 
 ing before them even when they were all 
 mounted ready for the departure. 
 
 " One, two, three — go," called Beth, perhaps a 
 little tremulously. 
 
 Marian and Harvey lightly touched their 
 steeds with their whips and away they started. 
 Julia likewise whipped Rueur, whereupon back 
 on his haunches settled the stubborn mule. 
 Julia struck harder, which only made Rueur flap 
 his ears in an impudent manner as much as to 
 say, " I'm too big to mind a little girl like you." 
 
 *' Perhaps if Harvey starts with you, Rueur 
 will do better," suggested Beth ashamed of the 
 behavior of her mule. 
 
 But the minute the horse approached the mule, 
 his lordship began to kick, whereupon the horse 
 bit at Rueur, while both animals flopped back 
 their ears in an angry manner. 
 
 " I — I don't like mules," murmured Julia. 
 
 " We'll change," proposed Harvey, and al- 
 though Julia hated to acknowledge herself 
 defeated, she was only too glad to escape from 
 a kicking mule. So in a few moments she was 
 upon the horse while Harvey mounted the mule. 
 
72 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Still Kueur refused to budge. Whipping had 
 no effect, although Harvey was so disgusted 
 that he lashed the stubborn animal vigorously. 
 
 Gustus, alone, was amused over the situation. 
 He laughed until the tears rolled down his face, 
 but Beth disapproved of his mirth. 
 
 " I'm ashamed of you, Gustus. It's silly to 
 laugh." 
 
 He suddenly sobered. " I know what dat stub- 
 born Mr. Mule needs. Massa Harve, yoh wait a 
 second till I come back," he called running into 
 the house. 
 
 As there was small likelihood of Harvey's 
 being able to start, he ceased from his efforts 
 and waited to see what Gustus would offer. 
 
 " It's horrid to be so stubborn. I'll never be 
 stubborn again," Beth said to herself. 
 
 In a moment Gustus returned dangling a pair 
 of spurs. 
 
 " Ha, ha," he chuckled. " Wid dese, Mr. Mule, 
 you'll be as meek as Moses." 
 
 So it proved. One touch of the spurs to 
 Eueur's hide, and away he galloped setting the 
 horses a lively pace. Gustus ran down the pine 
 road to watch the riders as long as possible. 
 
 Beth could not repress a sigh. Pensively she 
 gazed at the chained squirrel sleeping in the 
 hammock beside her. In a moment it awakened, 
 trying to sit up, but was entangled by the chain. 
 
 " You poor little thing, you don't like being a 
 
Beth Meets Carol 73 
 
 captive any better than I do. I've half a mind 
 to let you go. I'd miss you, but " 
 
 She looked out at the pine trees, noting in 
 particular one whose limbs touched the side of 
 the piazza rail. 
 
 " First you'd spring up that branch. Perhaps 
 you'd pause a moment to let me know how 
 happy you were to be free. Then on and on 
 you'd bound, oh, so joyously. Maybe you'd find 
 a playmate." At that moment a human play- 
 mate was what Beth desired above all else in 
 the world, so she judged the squirrel's desire 
 for happiness by her own. 
 
 Without further consideration, she slipped the 
 collar from the small captive's neck. In an 
 instant it sprang toward the railing as Beth 
 had foreseen. Immediately repenting of her 
 kindly impulse, Beth reached out to recapture 
 the squirrel, but already it was beyond her 
 grasp, having nimbly climbed up into the tree. 
 It paused as she had speculated and, cocking its 
 head, eyed her reproach full v, seeming to say : 
 
 *' Even if you are sorry, I thank you," and 
 then was off like a flash. 
 
 " Gustus, come here," cried Beth in distress. 
 
 For a wonder he came running in answer. 
 
 " Gustus, see my squirrel up there ? If you 
 catch it, I'll give you a quarter." 
 
 His eyes grew big at the offer. " Yoh ain't 
 'ceivin' me ? " 
 
74 A. Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Assured that she was in earnest, he darted 
 away in pursuit. 
 
 " Yer warn't peart-like to let hit go. Squir- 
 rels be powerful nimble," announced a voice 
 below, so unexpectedly that Beth jumped. 
 
 No human being but Gustus, fast disappearing 
 down the hill below, was in sight. 
 
 " Hit'll starve to death," continued the voice. 
 " Thar hain't any nuts now, an' hit hain't any 
 stored up like hit had been wild always." 
 
 The unknown one's words made Beth uneasy, 
 although at the moment curiosity was the upper- 
 most feeling with her. 
 
 " Who are you, any way ? And where are you ? " 
 
 " I'm Carol," and out from under the porch the 
 mountain girl emerged. 
 
 " Carol ? " repeated Beth. The name sounded 
 familiar but she was unable for the moment to 
 remember where she had heard it. 
 
 ^' I'm called Carol now, though I wuz named 
 Ca'line 'cause I wuz born in Ca'lina. Then a 
 lady she called me Carol 'cause I wuz always 
 likin' to sing. Maw sometimes calls me Cal." 
 
 Beth was not paying much attention to the 
 explanation. She was studying out where she 
 had heard the name. 
 
 ''Oh, I know now!" she exclaimed suddenly. 
 " You're the girl who told Maggie about the 
 accident the night I was hurt. She told me 
 about you.'* 
 
Beth Meets Carol 75 
 
 Carol smiled. At first Beth had not thought 
 her at all good looking, but with a smile her face 
 lighted up so remarkably that Beth was inclined 
 to change her opinion. 
 
 " You're not like what I expected from what 
 Maggie said about you," said Beth. 
 
 " Yer looks jes'like what I 'spected, only sweeter 
 like," announced Carol, and then suddenly grew 
 bashful. jSTot daring to raise her blue eyes, much 
 as she wished to do so, she twined her fingers in 
 and out in nervous agitation. 
 
 " My name is Beth — or rather Elizabeth Daven- 
 port." This information was tendered by Beth 
 to relieve Carol's embarrassment. 
 
 Once more Carol smiled, which confirmed Beth 
 in her thought that a smile did wonders for the 
 rather wizened face before her. 
 
 "Weuns knowed all 'bout yer." Once her 
 tongue was loosened she found delight in telling 
 things to Beth. " Day after day, I've hung 'round 
 hopin' to see yer. I felt ter'ble 'bout the acci- 
 dent, an' when I seen yer out to-day, I wuz that 
 joyful that I wuz full of song here," pressing her 
 heart. "I wanted ter go an' pick flowers fer 
 yer, but I had to tell yer first how joyful I am." 
 
 Such enthusiasm surprised but pleased Beth. 
 
 " You are very good to be so interested," she 
 answered. " Where do you live ? " 
 
 " We're neighbors. I live yonder in the holler, 
 on yer paw's land. My paw worked on shares 
 
76 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 one while, but we uns don't have to work now. 
 We uns is very rich." 
 
 In undisguised curiosity Beth eyed Carol. The 
 mountain girl was very queerly dressed for a rich 
 person. In fact her clothes were so very old that 
 they were almost ragged, and she was bare- 
 footed. 
 
 " A rich girl might go barefooted. I've done 
 so myself," thought Beth, " but she'd surely 
 dress better." 
 
 Carol read her thoughts. For a moment she 
 appeared ashamed, and then she tossed her head 
 almost haughtily. 
 
 " Our money's tied up in the courts now, but 
 I'm goin' to have silks an' satins later." 
 
 " Oh," but Beth was not much enlightened. 
 She would have liked to question Carol if she had 
 considered it polite. She was really growing in- 
 terested in the quaint character before her. 
 
 " I'd like to have you spend the afternoon 
 with me," she said. " If you don't, I'll be all 
 alone. Mamma thinks Julia's with me so she'll 
 not hurry home. Can't you stay ? " 
 
 Carol nodded her head and seated herself on 
 the topmost step near the hammock. She wound 
 her arms, much too long and lanky for her figure, 
 around her knees, and in this attitude gazed up 
 at Beth. Again she smiled and a light came 
 into her eyes that won Beth's heart. 
 
 " I'm goin' to love yer heaps. I love yer al- 
 
Beth Meets Carol 77 
 
 ready," she murmured. " Yer don't mind if I 
 tell yer things ? I've no one else to talk to." 
 
 During the last weeks Beth herself had felt 
 lonely many times in spite of the great love that 
 had been lavished upon her, and Carol's craving 
 for companionship appealed to her. " I'd like to 
 have you tell me things," she answered. 
 
 " We uns lived in Al'bama onct, an' grandpaw 
 stayed thar when we uns cum back to the moun- 
 tains to live, an' hit's through him stayin' thar, 
 we're to hev money. We're to hev heaps an' 
 heaps. More'n yer, I reckon. We're to be very 
 rich folks, an' I'm to take singin' lessons." 
 
 "Oh," exclaimed Beth for the second time. 
 Then, ashamed of her monosyllables, she asked, 
 " Do you want to take singing lessons ? " 
 
 Carol clasped her hands impulsively. " Want 
 to take um ? " she murmured. " Oh, I want to 
 take um so much I can't tell yer how much." 
 
 " Do you really like singing ? " questioned Beth 
 in surprise. She was even more surprised to note 
 how the mountain girl's face lighted up at the 
 question. 
 
 " I hain't never hearn much singin' 'cept the 
 birds', but I like better'n any thin' to think how 
 singin' should be. I try an' try till I get a song 
 the way hit seems hit should be." 
 
 " Do you really sing that way ? " Beth asked 
 almost incredulously. 
 
 The radiant expression faded from Carol's 
 
78 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 face. "I 'lows that what I sing don't 'mount to 
 much like I'd like, but if I had lessons maybe 
 hit would. Do yer reckon so ? " 
 
 "Maybe." For some reason Beth had little 
 faith in her new friend's singing ability and 
 hastened to change the subject. " I'd love to go 
 to the top of that mountain. Have you ever 
 been up there ? " She looked toward Hog- 
 back. 
 
 " What, Hogback thar ? " Carol's tones were 
 contemptuous and her thumb once more went 
 over her shoulder. " Why, when we uns first 
 cum that's whar we went, 'way up thar, an' I 
 don't hanker at all to go back. I had to tote 
 vegetables miles an' miles to earn a few pennies 
 to keep us from bein' without any clothes. I 
 tell yer I grew so powerful tired of trudgin' up 
 an' down that thar mountain that I don't never 
 want to see hit no more. I can't believe yer'd 
 like to go up jes' fer pleasure, but if yer really 
 mean hit, I'll show yer all 'round up thar some 
 day. Perhaps yer'd like to see the spot whar 
 Brune killed the wildcat that wuz after me." 
 
 "A wildcat?" repeated Beth, fearing that 
 Carol might be — well, not exactly truthful. 
 Then she added, " Who's Brune ? " 
 
 " Him ? Why, Brune's my dawg. Here, 
 Brune ! " she called. " He's sure to come in a 
 minute. He's never far off. Him's too perlite 
 to come without bein' called. Come on, Brune." 
 
Beth Meets Carol 79 
 
 A beautiful hunting dog came bounding around 
 the corner of the house. 
 
 " Why, what a fine dog," exclaimed Beth sur- 
 prised that Carol owned anything so aristo- 
 cratic. 
 
 Carol looked pleased. " Brune's rale peart-like, 
 all right." 
 
 Beth coaxed the dog to her side and stroked 
 his silky head. "How did you come to get 
 him ? " she asked. 
 
 " Onct, when we uns lived up thar," again her 
 thumb pointed to the mountain back of her, " a 
 hunter man 'lowed as how he must stay all night 
 with we uns. Hit war a powerful stormy night. 
 The rain — wal, thar war no drops, but hit cum 
 in such floods that I didn't 'low but as how our 
 cabin with we uns in hit mought be washed down 
 the mountain." 
 
 " Do they have storms like that up here ? " 
 
 Carol giggled. " Wal, I should say ! Why, 
 the clouds let go all to onct, an' down comes the 
 water like as bucketfuls war bein' poured down 
 yer back." 
 
 " I should love to see a storm like that," cried 
 Beth. 
 
 Carol looked over her shoulder at the fast- 
 gathering clouds along the mountain tops, 
 " Peers like to me you'll have yer wish right 
 soon." 
 
 " Goody," cried Beth, but the next instant her 
 
8o A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 face grew serious. " I hope they will get back 
 before it storms." 
 
 " So do I." Carol was more anxious than Beth 
 about the riders. She knew only too well the 
 nature of these mountain storms. Her mind 
 pictured the children riding along the slippery 
 clay roads. She saw the swollen streams and 
 the terrifying lightning that brought into bold 
 prominence the jutting rocks and dark ravines, 
 and she wondered what the children would do if 
 they were caught out in the coming storm. 
 
 Beth's thought reverted to the story. 
 
 " Go on about how Brune came to you. The 
 hunter — did he stay all night at your house ? " 
 
 " Yes, though paw didn't 'low as how he'd 
 better, he 'lowed as how he must." 
 
 " Why didn't your father want him to stay ? " 
 
 Carol eyed Beth wistfully. " I reckon as how 
 hit don't be no matter now to paw if I do tell, 
 only I want yer to think well of me, an' yer 
 won't. But ye're sure to hear 'bout us, so I 
 mought as well tell myself." She hesitated, hang- 
 ing her head. "Did yer ever hear of mountain 
 dew?" 
 
 Beth shook her head, and Carol looked relieved. 
 
 " Hit's somethin' yer need a license fer, an' paw 
 had none, an' he 'lowed as how the hunter man 
 mought find hit out, but as hit war stormin' so 
 powerful hard an' the hunter man offered a sight 
 of money, paw let him stay. You see we 
 
Beth Meets Carol 81 
 
 uns needed money dreadful them days fer hit 
 war pretty hard pickin', an' even lately hit's been 
 hard pickin', so hard that I've toted water up 
 from the spring to earn pennies. We haven't 
 any to spend now, though after while we're to 
 have more money than I kin count, an' I don't 
 reckon even yer could count hit all." 
 
 " Oh," Beth began to think the exclamation 
 would grow habitual with her if Carol continued 
 to talk of their wealth. "She will persist in 
 having riches. I wonder if there isn't some truth 
 in what she's telling. She surely couldn't be so 
 untruthful," thought Beth. 
 
 Happil}^ unconscious of the doubts her state- 
 ments created, Carol continued, " We uns — my 
 brothers and sisters " 
 
 " How many have you ? " Beth interrupted. 
 
 Carol looked troubled. " Thar's Pete an' Joe 
 an' Melinda an' Mary an' Martha an' Hezekiah 
 an' little Sampson. How many is that?" 
 
 " Seven." 
 
 " An' I'm eio:ht. Thar's more of us than that 
 'sides what died. Let me see," she held up her 
 fingers to count on. " Pete an' Joe are two." 
 
 "Never mind counting them." Beth did not 
 marvel that Carol had trouble in keeping count 
 of such a large family. " Go on about Brune." 
 
 Carol shifted her position and leaning up 
 against a column clasped her hands back of her 
 neck. She looked at Brune who had settled 
 
82 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 down on the ground at her feet. Her eyes ex- 
 pressed her intense love, and even her voice soft- 
 ened. 
 
 " He's pearter-like than any kid I know. He 
 hain't no fear at all. Why, I reckon as how 
 he'd tackle a bar if he had any call." 
 
 " A bar ? " repeated Beth, thinking of a piece 
 of iron. 
 
 " Yes, a bar. Hain't yer never seen a bar ? 
 Thar hain't no bars here 'bouts, but they're 
 ter'ble wild animals." 
 
 " Oh, a bear. Well, go on about Brune." 
 
 Beth was so interested about the wildcat and 
 Brune that she had forgotten all about her 
 squirrel. 
 
 " Whar wuz I? Oh, 'bout the hunter man. 
 We littler ones didn't know 'bout him stayin' all 
 night 'til the next mornin'. Then I found out 
 by seein' Brune outdoors when I went fer water. 
 I liked him from the moment I sot eyes on him, 
 an' he liked me. The hunter man wuz tired an' 
 slept rale late. I had to go down with some 
 things to sell that air day, an' Brune started to 
 follow. I tell yer, hit war lonesome travelin' 
 miles an' miles on foot all by myself, an' so I 
 kinder 'low as how I mought have coaxed him 
 some. Didn't peer like hit'd do no harm. Yer 
 see, I didn't know that that air hunter man had 
 planned he must cotch er train North, an' when 
 hit came time to go he couldn't no whar find 
 
Beth Meets Carol 83 
 
 Brune, an' so he went without him. Said as 
 how he'd come back some time fer him, but I'm 
 pow'ful glad I've never laid eyes on him since. 
 I'd feel ter'ble bad to part with Brune." 
 
 Beth readily understood how this could be. 
 " I shouldn't think the * hunter man ' would have 
 gone without him. He looks to me like a valu- 
 able dog." 
 
 " Oh, the hunter man had heaps of other 
 dawgs. Paw said as how he had funnels." 
 
 Beth puzzled her head to solve the meaning of 
 funnels, but could not. " What are funnels ? " 
 
 "Funnels? Don't yer know? I 'lowed as 
 how yer'd know every thin'. Why, funnels are 
 whar rich men keep dawgs an' raise um." 
 
 " Oh, you mean kennels." To keep from laugh- 
 ing, Beth hurriedly inquired, " Didn't Brune miss 
 his master at first ? " 
 
 " Miss him ? " the mountain girl repeated half 
 disdainfully, half jealously. '* Brune, come here. 
 Yer liked me better'n him from the very firs', 
 didn't yer ? " 
 
 The instant she called, the dog arose and 
 walked majestically up to her, placing a cold nose 
 against the hand held out to him. Carol turned 
 triumphantly to Beth. 
 
 " Yer see. An' look, here air the scars I tole 
 yer 'bout. Hit's whar the wildcat clawed Brune." 
 
 All over Brune's head and neck were scars, and 
 Beth eyed them in astonishment. Until this 
 
84 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 moment her faith as to there having been any 
 wildcat adventure had been small. 
 
 " And there are really, truly wildcats in the 
 mountains ! " she exclaimed eagerly, her eyes 
 very big and bright in wonder. 
 
 " Yer didn't believe me, did yer?" Then, 
 when she saw Beth's cheeks crimson, she hastened 
 on. " Yer want to know if thar air wildcats up 
 here ? Wal, if one tuk after yer, an' yer 'lowed as 
 every minute'd be yer last, yer'd know thar wuz 
 without askin'." 
 
 " And one really got after you that way ? I — 
 I" — stammered Beth, noting a hurt look on 
 Carol's face, " I don't doubt your word, but you 
 see I'm not used to thinking of wild animals 
 except in circuses and out at the park ; so you 
 mustn't mind if I'm surprised. Please go on." 
 
 Pacified by her apology and interest, Carol 
 w^as very willing to continue. " I'd hearn the 
 men say as how sometimes thar war wildcats 
 'bout, but I scarcely believed um, like yer didn't 
 me." 
 
 Again Beth blushed guiltily, but she was think- 
 ing at the same time, " What fun it'll be to tell 
 Harvey and the girls about Carol and the wild- 
 cat." 
 
 " An* 'cause I wuz careless goin' whar hit war 
 wild all by myself, I wuz most killed. If hit 
 hadn't been for Brune, I'd have been killed as 
 sura's my name's Carol." 
 
Beth Meets Carol 85 
 
 Beth's eyes were growing rounder every min- 
 ute. She almost held her breath in order to 
 catch every word. " I'm so interested," she mur- 
 mured as Carol paused a moment. "Do go 
 on." 
 
 " I don't jes' remember why Brune warn't 
 with me at first. Most likely he wuz off chasin' 
 somethin'. He very often is. I wuz walkin' 
 through the woods never onct thinkin' 'bout 
 wildcats, but jes' 'lowed as how I must hurry 
 home 'cause hit wuz suddently grown dark, an' 
 then — all to onct — I seen two balls of fire right 
 'head of me, what knocked the sense clean out 
 of me. I didn't move or screech. I jes' stood 
 still, an' that wild thing stood still an' glared, an' 
 glared. Say, wouldn't yer have been scared ?" 
 
 " Well I should say so." Beth was pale at the 
 very thought, and she shuddered slightly. Carol 
 enjoyed the effect her story was producing and 
 wished to prolong it as much as possible. 
 
 "What'd yer have done in my place with 
 those awful balls of fire blazin' right into yer ? " 
 
 Beth considered a moment. " If I couldn't 
 run, I'd have called Duke." 
 
 " Who's him ? Yer dawg ? Well, that's jes' 
 what I did. I called Brune, didn't I, Brune ? " 
 He was still beside her and she paused to stroke 
 his neck where the scars showed the ugliest. '* If 
 hit hadn't been fer yer, Brune, my own neck'd 
 been like that only much worser 'cause I couldn't 
 
86 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 have fit like yer. An' yer wouldn't have had 
 me here this minute to love yer like I do." 
 
 " Did he come as soon as you called ? " Beth 
 was impatient of any interruption at such a 
 critical point. 
 
 " He must 'ave scented danger even 'fore I 
 called." As she spoke, her hand still rested 
 lovingly on the healed wounds, and Brune looked 
 up into her face as if he knew she was sounding 
 his praise. He wagged his tail proudly. His 
 mistress again let her attention stray to him. 
 " Yer'll never forget that moment, will yer, 
 Brune ? I don't see even yet how yer dared face 
 them balls of fire fer me." 
 
 Beth began to fear that she would never hear 
 the whole story, but she really admired Carol's 
 devotion to Brune because of her own liking for 
 dogs. Therefore, she did not give way to her 
 impatience, but said gently, "Please go on, 
 Carol." 
 
 "Fust thing I knowed, he jumped out of ther 
 bushes with his back all up — 'most 'fore I'd 
 called. He sprang right toward the balls of fire, 
 an' jes' pitched right in an' fit. Yes, fit so 
 hard that that thar wildcat almost killed him. I 
 hearn him groan onct or twict quiet-like, fer he 
 wuz too busy to think of his own pain. I wuz 
 still numb with fear an' all I could do wuz to 
 watch with my heart ready to fall out. I reckon 
 if that wildcat had killed him, I'd have jes' stood 
 
Beth Meets Carol 87 
 
 right thar 'til hit killed me too. Hit seemed as 
 if I must stay. All to onct that thar wildcat got 
 Brune down, an' fer a moment things grew black 
 fer me. Folks like me don't faint, but I reckon 
 I came as near hit as I ever will in my life. But 
 when thar seemed no hope for Brune, fear for 
 my dawg's life loosed my throat an' I screamed 
 an' screamed 'til paw hearn, an' came with a gun, 
 an' that wuz the last of wildcat. An' I fell down 
 beside Brune an' cried an' cried, fer I reckon'd as 
 how he wuz done fer. But he wuzn't, an' I 
 nursed him 'til he wuz well." 
 
 Carol arose. "Wal, I reckon as how Brune 
 an' me must be goin'. Maw '11 kinder be won- 
 derin'." 
 
 Beth held out her hand, and her eyes still 
 shone. " I'm so glad you came. I'm very much 
 obliged for telling me about the wildcat. You'll 
 come again, won't you ? " 
 
 " I liked bein' here better'n yer could guess, an' 
 me an' Brune'll surely come agin." 
 
 Left to herself, Beth began to think that it 
 was about time for the horseback riders to re- 
 turn. " They promised not to be gone long," she 
 thought. 
 
 She looked toward the mountains. In the 
 direction of Tremont there was no peak now 
 visible, but instead, one mass of dark, angry 
 clouds. Carol's description came back to trouble 
 Beth. 
 
88 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " The clouds let go all to onct an' down comes 
 the water like as bucketfuls war bein' poured 
 down yer back." 
 
 " Yer lazy, no count boy ! " The voice was 
 unmistakably Carol's down in the pine grove at 
 the foot of the hill. " Warn't yer tole to hunt 
 squirrel, an' here yer be sleepin'. She'll scold 
 yer." 
 
 " Missy Beth won't scole me. I jes' couldn't 
 cotch dat squirrel no-away. De fastah I flew 
 aftah it, de fastah flew Mr. Squirrel. I got awful 
 tired, clean tuckered out, an' I was goin' to tole 
 missy so, but " 
 
 " Gustus, come here to me," called Beth. 
 
 " Thar, what I done tole yer ? Yer goin' to 
 cotch hit." 
 
 Beth was surprised that she could hear every 
 word so distinctly considering the distance. 
 
 " Gustus, hurry," she called presently. 
 
 At the same moment her mother appeared 
 through the open French window. "We must 
 get you in, Beth. I hastened home when I saw 
 the storm coming." 
 
; 
 
CHAPTER V 
 Rueur Returns Riderless 
 
 Once in her own room, the storm fully oc- 
 cupied Beth's mind. Ev^en after it grew very 
 dark, she would not have a lamp lighted. The 
 shades to the French windows were up and the 
 awful wind that had come with the storm dashed 
 the torrent of rain against the glass, blurring it 
 except when the lightning overcame the dark- 
 ness momentarily. 
 
 Built as the house was on the side of the hill, 
 without a cellar, the wind had full sweep in the 
 wing of the house where Beth was and the room 
 shook and swayed to such an extent that Beth 
 was somewhat nervous on her own account. 
 
 " It's like a cradle," she thought, as she sat 
 propped up in bed. " I didn't know a house 
 could shake so. Suppose it tumbled over." 
 
 A sudden flash of light made her forget her 
 own fear in anxiety for the wanderers. 
 
 " What can have happened ? They'll be 
 awfully frightened and wet. Perhaps they've 
 stopped somewhere. That's it." 
 
 Comforted somewhat by this hope, Beth again 
 thought over her meeting with Carol. 
 
 " It turned out true about the wildcat, and 
 
92 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 maybe she's really to have money. * More'n yer 
 have.' That's just v^hat she said. If " 
 
 The door leading into the hall was hastily 
 swung open, and Gustus burst into the room. 
 
 " Missy Beth, what yo' think ? " 
 
 Her heart beat excitedly. " Have they come, 
 Gustus ? " she asked. 
 
 " Does yo' 'specs, Missy Beth, dat " 
 
 " Gustus, tell me. Have they come ? " 
 
 "]S"o 'deed, Missy Beth. What done make 
 yo' think dat ? But yo' squirrel done come 
 back." 
 
 She was less pleased over the news than she 
 would have been under ordinary circumstances, 
 and her lack of enthusiasm disappointed Gustus. 
 He eyed her reproachfully. 
 
 " Ain't I to earn dat quartah, 'cause I wuz de 
 fust to see Mr. Squirrel ? I cotched him after 
 all." 
 
 "I suppose you put salt on its tail. No? 
 Well how did you catch it ? " 
 
 He stood first on one foot and then on the 
 other, contriving how he might get the money. 
 " I really cotched it. Missy Beth, an' yo' said if 
 I did dat I wuz to have a quartah. I needs dat 
 
 money " Conscience suddenly got the better 
 
 of his greed. *' Mr. Squirrel must 'ave known it 
 too, or why should he 'ave come into de dinin' 
 room jes' at supper time, an' hop up on his little 
 hind feet an' beg ? I fooled him, though 'bout 
 
Ruear Returns Riderless 93 
 
 me bein' black. I cracked some nuts fer 'im, an' 
 Avhile Mr. Squirrel wuz gobblin' dem up, I 
 grabbed 'im. Yo' see de nuts 'stracted his 'ten- 
 tion from me. Don't yo' reckon I earned dat 
 quartah ? " 
 
 He looked so very wistful that Beth could not 
 resist. ^' I'll get papa to give it to you." 
 
 Around the mom he danced in high delight. 
 
 " Golly, but I'm happy. Heaps of good things 
 happenin'. When we went to de woods early 
 dis mornin', me an' Duke treed a possum. I'm 
 dat happy " 
 
 Suddenly a flash of lightning and the crash 
 that quickly followed frightened all the delight 
 out of him. Midway in the room he halted, 
 shaking until even his teeth chattered. 
 
 "Ow ! ow ! Missy Beth. I— I didn't tole yo' 
 a lie ? I — I let yo' know dat Mr. Squirrel gave 
 hisself up, didn't I ? I don't wants to be killed 
 by the lightnin'. It wuz so ter'ble, it might 
 strike one dead." 
 
 " And they're out in it," murmured Beth. 
 
 " Yo' don't reckon it killed um, do yo' ? " 
 
 " Gustus, don't be silly." 
 
 Her tone was so sharp that it made Gustus 
 shiver anew. ** Xo, I won't. Missy Beth, dough 
 I'se ter'ble scared." 
 
 The fire w^as dying down and the room was 
 growing cold. 
 
 " Bring in some logs, Gustus. We must have 
 
94 -A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 the room nice and warm for them when thej re- 
 turn." 
 
 But even after the fire blazed up, Beth was 
 but little comforted. 
 
 " You keep a good watch, Gustus, and the 
 minute you see a sign of them, you run up and 
 tell me." 
 
 After he had gone, she was almost sorry she 
 had sent him. She would have rung the bell for 
 some one but supposed that supper was being 
 served. In this, she was mistaken. Her parents 
 were too anxious to eat, and stayed away from 
 her that she might not question them. 
 
 All alone, Beth was more and more terrified 
 by the violence of the wind. In fact it was in- 
 creasing in velocity momentarily. So distressed 
 was she by its howling that she drew the bed- 
 clothes over her head to shut out the sound if 
 she could ; but she found no relief thus. Unable 
 to stand the suspense alone another moment, she 
 reached out and struck the bell by her bedside. 
 
 Her father answered the call. 
 
 " Oh, papa," she half sobbed, " I'm so worried. 
 The wind frightens me. Wouldn't it be awful 
 if they're out in it ? Do you suppose they've gone 
 in somewhere ? " 
 
 " I hope so, dear." 
 
 " Papa, what was that ? It sounded like 
 Gustus yelling." 
 
 Mr. Davenport, too, had heard the same sound 
 
Rueur Returns Riderless 95 
 
 and he hurried over toward the window. Bath's 
 every nerve was quivering, and the crash of 
 thunder that came at that moment made her 
 think that perhaps her imagination was leading 
 her astray. 
 
 As the thunder subsided, Mr. Davenport threw 
 open the window at which he stood. The wind 
 was driving the rain against the opposite side of 
 the house so that only the sound of the storm en- 
 tered through the open window, at least that was 
 all Beth heard at first ; but in a moment another 
 uproar almost made her heart stop beating. 
 Again she was sure Gustus was yelling, but what 
 was even more terrifying was another crying 
 out, so very peculiar that Beth had not the least 
 idea what it could be. 
 
 " Oh, papa, what's the matter ? " she cried as 
 he closed the window and turned toward the 
 door. "Did you hear the noise? What was 
 it?" 
 
 He paused momentarily. " It's probably some 
 of Gustus's tomfoolery. Don't worry, Beth. 
 I'll find out all about it in a moment." 
 
 " Be sure to let me know," she called after 
 him. 
 
 She felt her helplessness more than ever be- 
 cause she could not run along with him. To lie 
 still and wait to be told was very hard. Although 
 she was only kept in suspense a few moments, 
 the time seemed an age to her. 
 
96 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " Oh, Missy Beth ! " cried Gustus, rushing into 
 the room. 
 
 " Have they come ? " she demanded, raising 
 herself on her elbow. 
 
 He was panting and only gasped, " Oh, Missy 
 Beth— oh " 
 
 His manner caused a clutching at her heart. 
 Something terrible had happened to the riders 
 and he hated to tell. Impatient that he kept 
 her in such suspense, she still dreaded to have 
 him speak. 
 
 He rolled his eyes tragically. " De awf ullest 
 
 thing's happened " He drew a deep breath. 
 
 He was intent on impressing her duly, but hardly 
 realized what a harrowing effect his manner and 
 words were producing. 
 
 " They — they ? " She was almost sob- 
 bing. 
 
 " Did yo' hear dat awful, ter'ble noise ? It 
 made de cole run up an' down my back. I 'lowed 
 dat Massa Harve an' Miss Marian an' Miss Julie 
 were bein' murdered." 
 
 Speech was beyond Beth, but she shuddered. 
 If she could have laid hands on him she would 
 have shaken the truth from him instead of letting 
 him torture her. 
 
 " Dat's jes' de way I felt," he continued ad- 
 miringly. '' I 'lowed " 
 
 This was too much, and anger gave her back 
 the use of her voice. 
 
Rueur Returns Riderless 97 
 
 " I'll not listen to what you thought. Tell me 
 this instant what happened." 
 
 He looked grieved. " Dat's jes' what I'm doin'. 
 As dem chills war runnin' up an' down my back, 
 de fright got in my mouth an' I yelled. Did yo' 
 hear me yell ? " 
 
 Beth knew that the more she interrupted, the 
 longer she would be in hearing what had hap- 
 pened. That was always Gustus's way in telling 
 anything. To control herself, she clasped her 
 hands and pressed them together so hard that it 
 actually hurt. 
 
 " Papa heard you," she answered faintly. 
 
 " Dat's why he came runnin'. If he hadn't 
 come, I'd nebber dared see what wuz makin' dat 
 awful, dreadful noise." His tones were sepul- 
 chral. 
 
 " What was it ? " She was so harrowed that 
 she was on the point of giving way to her feel- 
 ings. 
 
 " What yo' reckon it wuz ? " 
 
 " How should I know ? " she snapped. Beth 
 thouc^ht that now he must tell and she no lono^er 
 curbed her impatience. '^ If I knew, I wouldn't 
 be questioning you." 
 
 " Dat's so, Missy Beth. I nebber onct thought 
 ob dat," he chuckled which enraged her anew. 
 " How should yo' know 'bout dat noise when yo' 
 couldn't guess if yo' tried all night." 
 
 "I'm not going to guess. If you don't tell 
 
98 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 this minute, I'll have mamma send you back to 
 Jacksonville," her voice was broken now by sobs. 
 
 " Why, Missy Beth, I am tellin' yo'," he stam- 
 mered. "A hog, a monster hog made all dat 
 noise." 
 
 " A hog ? " she repeated, hardly believing what 
 she heard. " And it had nothing to do about the 
 riders at all ? " 
 
 "Ob course not. Didn't yo' know dat all 
 'long ? " 
 
 " Oh, Gustus, what a scare you gave me." 
 Beth sank back on the pillow greatly relieved 
 although still angry. 
 
 " I done give myself an awful scare. Missy 
 Beth," he answered in a sympathetic tone as if 
 he had nothing to do with the state of her feel- 
 ings. All at once he burst forth into a hearty, 
 contagious laugh. Angry as Beth was she almost 
 had to smile. Then it came to her that perhaps 
 he was making fun of her. 
 
 " I don't see anything to laugh at," she said in 
 her most dignified manner. 
 
 " Ha ha, ho ho. Missy Beth, yo' didn't see dat 
 hog or yo'd laugh too." He suddenly sobered. 
 " But it et up ebbery one ob our chickens dat 
 we had cooped up to eat oursels." 
 
 " Ate up our chickens ? Hogs don't eat chickens." 
 
 " Dis Mr. Hog did. He got right into de coop 
 wid dem an' gobbled up ebbery one. Den piggy 
 hog wanted to go, but he stuck." 
 
Rueur Returns Riderless 99 
 
 The ludicrousness of the situation again struck 
 him. He laughed so heartily that the tears 
 trickled down his cheeks, and he doubled over 
 with his hands on his sides. 
 
 " Oh, oh. Missy Beth," he half sobbed, " yo'— 
 oh, oh — nebber sawed anythin' half so funny. 
 It wriggled, an' wriggled, ah, ah, but it couldn't 
 budge, an' then it squealed an' squealed, jes' dis- 
 away." He grunted in such perfect imitation 
 that Beth just had to laugh. 
 
 " Ho, ho," he roared much easier in mind now 
 that she was no longer stern. " Mr. Hog's still 
 stickin' in de coop. Don't yo' hear him squealin' ? 
 I do. Serve yo' right, Mr. Hog." So great was 
 his glee that he could hardly keep from dancing. 
 
 Mrs. Davenport entered with a tray. " We 
 almost forgot your supper, Beth," she said. 
 
 "I can't eat. I'm " 
 
 " Yes you can, dear. You mustn't worry. 
 They'll come home all right." She arranged 
 Beth's supper on the pillow in front of her and 
 started to light the lamp. 
 
 *' I don't want a light, mamma. The fire makes 
 it bright enough." 
 
 *' Yery well, dear. Gustus, you can stay to 
 wait on her if she wants anything else." 
 
 He was very much delighted that he was not to 
 be banished. After Mrs. Davenport left, he 
 skipped over by the fire, and sat down on the 
 hearth with his back to the flames. At the same 
 
100 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 moment an extra heavy gust of wind shook the 
 house to its very foundations. 
 
 "0\v," howled Gustus, jumping up and run- 
 ning back to the bedside. " When de wind shrieks 
 dataway, Missy Beth, it means dat somethin' 
 ter'ble '11 happen. I'm awful scared." 
 
 " Don't whisper that way, Gustus. You're 
 worse than the wind." 
 
 " Does yo' believe in signs ? " he asked as he 
 dropped into the chair nearest her while nodding 
 his head impressively. " I've been studyin' 'bout 
 it an' it peers like to me dat it's very bad to hav' 
 a squirrel come back like yo's did. Rabbits are 
 bad luck an' I reckon squirrels am too. An' dat 
 hog, also, may mean some thin' very bad." 
 
 " Oh, you're silly now," but, though she ap- 
 peared contemptuous, her power to eat was being 
 taken away entirely by his doleful manner^ 
 
 " I ain't silly. Missy Beth. Signs nebber laTl. 
 Ow," he howled again in unison with the wind. 
 " Jes' listen to dat now. All de people who have 
 been killed on nights like dis am let loose an' 
 dey howl to let us know how fearful it am to be 
 out dis night. I wouldn't be out dar fer all de 
 world." 
 
 " Hush, Gustus, hush." She was thinking of 
 the riders. 
 
 -, *' Ghosts chase people on sech nights." His 
 voice was again sepulchral. " Dey come gallopin' 
 down de mountains on wind horses — hear dem 
 
Rueur Returns Riderless loi 
 
 now — ow, o\v, ow, dey shriek, an' clutch folks, 
 an' take dem off foreber. Supposin' dey cotch 
 our folks ? Whatebber would we do ? " 
 
 " Nonsense. I'm not afraid of ghosts, but I do 
 hope they're not in this awful storm. That's 
 what scares me.'* 
 
 " Yo' ain't eatin' nothin'," interrupted Gustus, 
 eyeing enviously the tray with all its dainties. 
 
 *' I can't eat. You can have everything here." 
 
 His eyes fairly bulged out in his pleasure. He 
 grasped the tray hastily as if fearful she might 
 repent, and set to work with unimpaired appetite 
 to devour his unexpected feast. In his greed he 
 even forgot his fear. His mournfulness all de- 
 parted, but the effects of it still remained with 
 Beth. It seemed an interminable titne until her 
 father and mother came upstairs. Every mo- 
 ment made them more and more anxious, but for 
 Beth's sake they tried to appear cheerful. 
 
 " Oh, is there nothing we can do ? " cried 
 Beth. 
 
 " We don't even know where they were going." 
 
 They talked awhile of other matters, but their 
 thoughts dwelt with the wanderers. 
 
 " What time is it ? " asked Beth. 
 
 " Eight o'clock." 
 
 " Only eight ? I thought it must be about 
 midnight." 
 
 Half an hour later there was a timid knock at 
 the door, and Beth was greatly surprised to see 
 
102 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Carol enter the room. She was dripping wet 
 and looked as if she had been out in the worst of 
 the storm. She was without hat or wrap and 
 her teeth chattered from cold. 
 
 " Why, Carol ! " exclaimed Beth. 
 
 If Beth had been alone, Carol would have 
 spoken immediately, so important was the news 
 she had to tell, but, at sight of the others, speech 
 failed her, so that she stood stupidly twisting 
 her hands with her eyes lowered. 
 
 "Carol, what brought you out in such a 
 storm ? " questioned Beth. 
 
 Tears rose in Carol's eyes, and she found cour- 
 age to sidle nearer. 
 
 " The folks that rode ? " she gasped. " Hav' 
 they come ? " 
 
 "Ko, no. You've something to tell about 
 them ? " 
 
 Carol nodded her head. Then she blurted out : 
 " One of um is hurted then or killed like I feared." 
 
 Beth sprang up in bed unmindful of weakness. 
 
 " What makes you say that ? " demanded Mr. 
 Davenport grasping Carol by the shoulders. 
 
 She gulped down a sob. " I — I rode all the 
 ways from Landrums to tell yer." 
 
 "Yes, yes. Go on." 
 
 "My paw's the man what got the mule fer 
 you uns from a man at Landrums. I " 
 
 " Has this anything to do with our children ? " 
 
 She glanced shyly up at him and nodded her 
 
Raear Returns Riderless 103 
 
 head. " I wuz down spendin' er night with that 
 
 man's gal. An' " Again her voice failed 
 
 her. 
 
 " Do go on, Carol," implored Beth. 
 
 " Mebbe hit's not as bad as hit seems. I hates 
 to hurt yer," sobbed Carol. " But hit's got to be 
 tole, hasn't hit ? " She looked up pleadingly at 
 Mr. Davenport. Kot waiting for an answer she 
 continued brokenly : 
 
 " 'Bout half an hour or so ago, they found yer 
 mule with hit's bridle all broken, an' no one in 
 the saddle. The man wouldn't come to tole yer, 
 so I come." 
 
 Her bravery in riding through dark and storm 
 to bring the news was overlooked because of 
 their anxiety. 
 
 " Harvey's killed," sobbed Beth. 
 
 " I'm going to Landrums. I must get trace of 
 the children," said Mr. Davenport. 
 
 " If yer want the mule, he's hitched 'round by 
 the kitchen." 
 
 To save time, he decided to ride the mule. 
 
 Once in the saddle, Mr. Davenport urged 
 Eueur into a gallop, and so persistently per- 
 suaded him onward, that tired as the mule was, 
 he was compelled to travel swiftly over the slip- 
 pery clay and the sure-footed little beast never 
 stumbled nor halted. 
 
 The storm was lifting, but Mr. Davenport had 
 little thought for the state of the weather. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 The Deserted Cabin 
 
 And now to tell what had befallen the riders 
 earlier in the day. 
 
 The spurs had such a good effect on the mule 
 that the animals traveled peaceably for a mile or 
 two at a moderate pace ; but the youthful blood 
 of the riders, and the bracing air made them im- 
 patient of such quiet sport. 
 
 "Let's pretend we're Indians," proposed 
 Harvey with a whoop that slightly startled the 
 girls. 
 
 Julia, too, had been pondering what she could 
 propose for excitement and quickly seconded his 
 effort. 
 
 " Or how would it do to be cowboys and ride 
 like they do in the Wild West shows ? Oh, and 
 we could be chased by Indians ! " exclaimed 
 Julia. 
 
 " That would be sport. Come on," and Harvey, 
 digging the spurs into Rueur, let forth another 
 wild whoop that set the hills echoing. 
 
 Even quiet Marian entered into the spirit of 
 the play. 
 
 " Nobody will hear," she thought and up she 
 
io8 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 rose in her stirrup, waving lier whip and whoop- 
 ing with Harvey. 
 
 Julia, not to be outdone, yelled wildly, giving 
 her horse free rein. 
 
 How their blood tingled as along the winding 
 road flew the mule closely followed by the horses. 
 Instinctively the animals kept to the bank at the 
 right where glossy bushes of rhododendrons and 
 laurels grew in wild confusion for, at the left, 
 there was a descent leading to a babbling stream 
 which gurgled over the rocks and flowed merrily 
 down into the valley. 
 
 " Girls, girls, don't stop ! " shouted Harvey, as 
 the road led them down to where they must ford 
 the stream. " For your life, don't stop. I saw 
 the Indians springing down the bank just back 
 of us. It's a chase of life and death now ! Come 
 on!" 
 
 Into the clear stream he spurred Eueur, and the 
 girls splashed on with him. Julia's horse stum- 
 bled on a rock and almost fell. For an instant 
 Harvey pulled in rein. 
 
 " Are you all right, Julia ? " 
 
 " Yes, only some of the water got on me and 
 it's pretty cold ; but don't stop for I think I hear 
 the Indians sneaking up in back of us," and un- 
 daunted, she flew onward with her companions 
 at a wild speed. They were almost as much ex- 
 cited as if their play were real. 
 
 Within a very short time, they had forded the 
 
The Deserted Cabin 109 
 
 brook six or seven times, so very winding was the 
 road. 
 
 After a while the horses tired of such mad rid- 
 ing for they had been driven up and down hill 
 without any let-up. Their breath shortened ; they 
 were soon covered Avith lather, and the girls 
 felt the sides of the animals heaving beneath 
 them. 
 
 " I don't think father would like us to ride so 
 fast," suggested Marian timidly, pulling up 
 slightly. 
 
 " Nonsense," cried Harvey, for sturdy Kueur 
 showed no signs of fatigue. " Hurry, they're 
 gaining on us," he added in a sepulchral tone. 
 
 " Oh, I'm so frightened," cried Julia hyster- 
 ically. 
 
 ** Hush, Julia, or they'll hear you," cautioned 
 Marian giving up her momentary scruples be- 
 cause the others were still so enthused with the 
 play. 
 
 " They might track us by the footprints in the 
 road. We ought to do something to mislead 
 them," proposed Julia. 
 
 Harvey pondered a moment. Just ahead the 
 stream had to be crossed again which was an in- 
 spiration to Harvey, and he said, " Instead of fol- 
 lowing the road, let's go up-stream so there'll be 
 no tracks. We're sure to come on the road 
 higher up." 
 
 Once more Marian was inclined to object to 
 
no A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 such daredevil play, but she did not wish always 
 to be the one to cast a damper on the sport, so up- 
 stream she went without a word, and at first, 
 splashing through the water proved less risky, 
 and more fun than she had deemed ; but the horses 
 did not enjoy it as much as did their riders. 
 Rueur alone trudged stolidly ahead. 
 
 " It's getting sticky," exclaimed Julia who was 
 now in the lead with Harvey. 
 
 " That's nothing. All water beds are sticky 
 sometimes, I reckon, and we'll be out of this in 
 a minute," he answered. 
 
 Marian did not agree with him, but still offered 
 no objection. She whipped her horse in an ef- 
 fort to keep up with the others, while, at the 
 same time, she became anxious because her 
 horse's feet sank deeper and deeper with every 
 step. Julia's horse, too, dragged its feet out of 
 the mire with diflB.culty, and it breathed labo- 
 riously. 
 
 Harvey did not notice how bad the road was 
 because the mule was sturdier than the horses. 
 Then he was still pretending that the Indians 
 were after them and was most intent on escaping 
 the wild men. He was recalled to his senses by 
 Marian crying : 
 
 " We must get out of this. I believe it's quick- 
 sand." 
 
 As she spoke she turned toward shore whip- 
 ping her horse hard. After a slight struggle the 
 
The Deserted Cabin ill 
 
 animal was enabled to draw out its feet so that 
 it soon gained firm footing. Then Marian looked 
 again toward her friends. 
 
 Her warning had brought them both to a 
 standstill, and Harvey cried, " She's right. We 
 must get out of this. It may be quicksand," and 
 with the words he applied the spurs which caused 
 Rueur to exert his great strength, so that soon 
 Harvey halted beside Marian on the bank of the 
 stream beyond the quicksand. 
 
 Meantime Julia tried to follow, but her tired 
 horse refused to budge and, while it stood still, it 
 was sucked deeper and deeper into the miry 
 surface beneath. 
 
 "Hit him as hard as ever you can," yelled 
 Harvey. 
 
 Julia struck the quivering horse as bid, and 
 though she whipped hard and long, it either 
 would not or could not make much headway. 
 When Julia saw that her efforts were useless, she 
 let go of the reins and gathered her skirts in her 
 right hand. 
 
 " What are you doing ? " demanded Harvey. 
 
 *' I'm going to jump off and wade in." Her 
 foot was already out of the stirrup. 
 
 "Stop, Julia. You mustn't. You might be 
 swallowed up in the quicksand. I'll come out 
 and help you." With this, Harvey started Rueur 
 toward the quicksand, but the mule balked within 
 a few feet of the bemired horse. Harvey, how- 
 
112 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 ever, now knew the spurs to be a sure cure for 
 stubbornness with Rueur. One dig into the 
 balky mule's side was sufficient to land him be- 
 side the panting horse. 
 
 "Julia, can you jump over here with me? I 
 think Rueur will take us both to shore." 
 
 Almost before he had finished, agile Julia was 
 over on Rueur just behind Harvey. 
 
 "Wait," she cried as he was about to turn 
 shoreward. With the word she leaned far over 
 and gave her own horse the hardest cut with a 
 whip it had ever known which so surprised the 
 animal that it succeeded in lifting first one foot 
 and then another. 
 
 Rueur needed no encouragement to struggle 
 shoreward. The sturdy little animal, notwith- 
 standing the extra weight, plowed bravely through 
 the quicksand, while the horse with every muscle 
 at great tension, followed. 
 
 " I wonder what would have happened if you 
 hadn't come for me," said Julia as Harvey drew 
 rein beside Marian. 
 
 " You'd have gotten out all right," he answered 
 partly to make light of his own help and partly 
 because he believed what he said. " You'd have 
 gotten scared and whipped hard like you did at 
 last." 
 
 " Suppose Julia's horse will not let us catch it. 
 Do you think it will follow us home?" asked 
 Marian, looking toward the animal which had 
 
The Deserted Cabin 1 13 
 
 paused to graze on the edge of the bank not far 
 from them. 
 
 " jSTot much danger but what we can catch it 
 all right. It's too tired to run from us," said 
 Harvey and so it proved. 
 
 Marian looked doubtfully along the edge of the 
 stream as Julia was changing to her own saddle. 
 
 " I don't know what we'd better do," she said, 
 when they were once more ready to start. " The 
 bushes hang down so low that we might get in 
 the quicksand again if we try to go back to the 
 road." 
 
 " We'll try it through the bushes then," said 
 Harvey, heading Eueur up the bank. The girls 
 willingly followed. Even Julia was somewhat 
 subdued. She would have enjoyed beaten tracks 
 at least for awhile. 
 
 " If we go straight ahead we're almost sure to 
 strike the road because it makes so very many 
 turns," continued Harvey. 
 
 "I'd hate to go a long way through this 
 tangle." 
 
 The undergrowth was so dense that both girls 
 had to draw their skirts close around them, and 
 the horses snorted anew because of the untrodden 
 paths over which they were being taken. Rueur 
 again proved the leader, instinctively picking 
 out the best way. By force of his example, the 
 horses also were encouraged to make slow head- 
 way. 
 
114 -^ -Marc/ of the Mountains 
 
 " Here's a road," cried Harvey. " It seems to 
 go in the direction of home, so I think we'd 
 better return, as Beth will be getting lonely." 
 
 The girls agreed, so they headed in the direc- 
 tion in which they thought Tremont lay. 
 
 ** Beth will be proud of Eueur when we tell 
 her how well he has behaved. I'd rather own 
 him than either of the horses," said Harvey, 
 patting the mule which looked around in mild 
 surprise. 
 
 " He doesn't know what to make of my pet- 
 ting him after the way I dug the spurs into him, 
 but I reckon it didn't hurt much, and it got him 
 out of the quicksand in a hurry." 
 
 " Was it real bad quicksand like you hear 
 about, Harve ? " 
 
 " I reckon it wasn't the worst kind." 
 
 " Well it was bad enough anyway." Julia shud- 
 dered slightly as she remembered the disagreea- 
 ble sensation of feeling her horse sink. 
 
 " Let's take another run," proposed Harvey 
 when he noticed that Julia's horse had regained 
 breath. 
 
 Again along the winding road they cantered, 
 but not at the breakneck speed they had ridden 
 earlier in the day. However, even at a slower 
 gallop, they covered much ground before Marian 
 pulled up her horse suddenly. 
 
 " This isn't the road we came." 
 
 " The woods look the same," announced Julia, 
 
The Deserted Cabin 115 
 
 who had not been noticing her surroundings until 
 her attention was called to them. 
 
 " We haven't crossed the brook hardly any." 
 
 " I noticed that," admitted Harvey. " But I 
 wouldn't say anything for I reckon all roads 
 lead to Tremont like Boman roads." 
 
 " I'm not so sure about that," interrupted 
 Marian doubtfully. " I've found these mountain 
 roads mighty queer. You start off all right 
 seemingly and the first thing you know you're a 
 great distance out of the way." 
 
 " Maybe we'd better go back then." 
 
 *' But we'd not be sure of finding the right 
 road, and, even if w^e did, it would make us xerj 
 late getting home. Let's hurry, and maybe we'll 
 come to a mountain hut where some one will tell 
 us how to go." 
 
 Once more they urged their steeds to a good 
 pace. All were getting anxious although they 
 did not like to admit that such was the case. 
 
 " One couldn't be badly lost hereabouts," de- 
 clared Harvey to reassure his companions. 
 
 *' I haven't seen one familiar landmark," said 
 Marian. " It will make us late home so that 
 they may worry. Otherwise I don't mind." 
 
 " It's not so very late. It's just cloudy, I 
 believe. If they don't worry, I think it rather 
 fun to be reallv, trulv lost. I never was before," 
 added adventurous Julia. 
 
 " I wish these woods didn't close in around us, 
 
1 16 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 for then we could see the mountains which 
 would show if we are still going in the right 
 direction. Let's ride a little faster and maybe 
 we'll come to an open space," said quiet Marian. 
 
 For fully a quarter of an hour they rode along 
 without catching a glimpse of the mountains, 
 and without seeing the least sign of human life. 
 Then they came to an opening. But the clouds 
 hung low over the mountains while the sky had 
 grown so dark that they could tell little of their 
 whereabouts. More than ever their hearts sank. 
 They had to acknowledge that they were really 
 lost. 
 
 " I never saw the mountains so covered with 
 clouds. An awful storm is coming. What shall 
 we do ? " cried Marian glancing apprehensively at 
 the storm signals to the left of her. 
 
 " We can only ride on now, I suppose. Luck 
 may be with us." 
 
 Darker and darker grew the sky as nearer and 
 nearer came the storm. The children became 
 more dispirited with the lowering of the clouds, 
 and even the animals were growing restive 
 although they were decidedly fagged out. 
 
 "It's darker than after sunset. They'll be 
 dreadfully scared," said Marian. 
 
 " Here's a road to the right. Suppose we try 
 it," cried Harvey. 
 
 All decided that to the right might be Tre- 
 mont and so turned to the new road. For a few 
 
The Deserted Cabin 117 
 
 moments the change made them hopeful, but this 
 feeling lasted a very short while, for, beside the 
 darkness, there were flashes of lightning and 
 angry rumblings, and the road itself grew narrow 
 and rocky. The lightning cast weird shadows 
 across the rutted road. 
 
 " We're really lost, and it isn't a bit of fun 
 like I said," thought Julia. In fact for children 
 to be lost in a mountainous country with no 
 human habitation visible proved so terrifying 
 that she felt like giving way to tears, but, being 
 brave-hearted, she suppressed them. 
 
 Suddenly, a blinding flash followed by a roar 
 made the horses start and snort. Every nerve 
 of their high strung being was a quiver. Rueur, 
 alone, was unmoved. He picked his way stolidly 
 along the rough trail and his coolness somewhat 
 calmed the horses. 
 
 Another flash quickly followed, so vivid that 
 the children took advantage of the light to look 
 around, but what they saw only made them more 
 nervous. The rocks on the hill to the side of 
 them appeared as monstrous giants ready to roll 
 down and crush them to atoms. The ruts in the 
 path seemed even worse than they had thought, 
 but still more discouraging was the discovery 
 that the road narrowed into a trail leading 
 through gloomy pine woods. 
 
 " Let's turn back," proposed Marian. 
 
 " No. We'd better get under the trees," an- 
 
ii8 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 swered Harvey who was the only one to appre- 
 ciate the shelter they would afford when the 
 floods descended, as he expected any instant. 
 
 " I've heard there is greater danger of being 
 struck by lightning in the woods. And " 
 
 " Yes, but when the rain comes, your horses 
 would be sure to slip in the clay and dark. 
 Kueur might manage to keep up. How would it 
 do for you girls to wait under a big tree while I 
 ride on " 
 
 " What, and leave us. 'Not much. I " 
 
 Again the sky was illumined. 
 
 " I see a house," interrupted Julia joyfully. 
 
 Neither of the others had been so quick of 
 vision as she, which made them fear that her 
 imagination was playing her false. However, 
 they rode on waiting breathlessly for another 
 flash to verify her words or else to show them 
 that they must buffet the storm unsheltered 
 except by trees. 
 
 " She's right, she's right I " cried Harvey. 
 " There are a number of houses." 
 
 The expected flash had revealed to the girls 
 also a little settlement of huts clustered near 
 each other in a cleared space. None were more 
 than a story high and were evidently hastily 
 constructed out of pine logs. 
 
 Joyfully they rode toward the first cabin 
 where Harvey jumped to the ground. He 
 handed his reins to Marian that Rueur might not 
 
The Deserted Cabin 119 
 
 run away, and walked quickly up to the door 
 and knocked. Receiving no response, he knocked 
 more vigorously, but still no one came. The 
 third time he literally pounded on the door so 
 eager was he. 
 
 " They must be over at a neighbor's," called 
 Marian. " I'll lead Rueur to the next house. 
 Some one will surely be home there." 
 
 On to the second house they hurried, for the 
 rain was beginning to fall in enormous drops. 
 Again Harvey pounded and pounded, but all his 
 efforts proved useless. Not a soul appeared to 
 be in the cabin. Impatient of the delay he 
 rushed on to a third door, but there met with no 
 better success. After trying three or four more 
 houses, all with like result, they all three were 
 not only puzzled, but were fast being soaked, for 
 the rain was growing worse and worse every 
 instant. 
 
 ^' I'll try one more place, and if no one answers, 
 we'll break in if we can. You girls must get 
 out of the wet. I never knew of anything so 
 very queer," he called as he ran on to another 
 cabin. 
 
 " I reckon they're all dead," he muttered as 
 still no one opened for them. Harvey turned to 
 try the window at his right when suddenly he 
 heard a moving within. He waited thinking that 
 at last he had roused the occupants of the place. 
 But when the door did not open, he again struck 
 
1 20 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 it with all his might, assured that he had really 
 heard some one moving. 
 
 Once more the same mysterious movement 
 began, but still the door remained unopened. 
 This was too much for Harvey's temper and he 
 was bound to solve the mystery. He made such 
 a racket that Marian cried : 
 
 " Why not give up " 
 
 " Give up," he repeated scornfully. " There's 
 some one in there sure, and I'll just make them 
 come, even if my knuckles are getting sore." 
 
 " I'll come and pound too," cried Julia, slip- 
 ping from her horse. She tied it to a tree and 
 joined Harvey. Marian, likewise, jumped to 
 the ground, and fastened Eueur and her horse 
 to trees. 
 
 " Perhaps everybody's dead of some plague. 
 It makes me creepy all over not to have any 
 answer," she said in a half whisper to her com- 
 panions who were now both pounding as hard 
 as they could. 
 
 " There's some one or something still living. 
 Julia and I both heard a sound within. Listen, 
 and you'll hear it too." They ceased rapping. 
 
 " You dreamed you heard a noise. There's 
 not a sound," Marian answered skeptically, after 
 holding her ear to the keyhole. 
 
 " There's nothing now, but I know I did hear 
 something. Perhaps the person's deaf and don't 
 hear us. That's it, I do believe." 
 
The Deserted Cabin 121 
 
 His solution seemed so feasible that they won- 
 dered at not thinking of it before. Besides the 
 downpour, it had grown suddenly cold and they 
 stood shivering, trying to fathom how they could 
 attract the attention of an exceedingly deaf 
 person. 
 
 " We'll have to break in. We can then yell 
 the situation at the owner," Harvey said, when 
 he could devise no other way. He walked over 
 and tried to pry the window at the right open, 
 but it would not yield. Then he tried the 
 window on the left. 
 
 " It's giving way," he cried joyfully. " Come 
 on, girls, I'll help you in." 
 
 " I don't need help," and Julia proved her 
 words by clambering through the now open 
 window as nimbly as a squirrel would. She 
 paused just inside. 
 
 " There's not a bit of a light in the house," she 
 whispered. " I hear the noise again. Maybe it's 
 a crazy person, I'm scared. They're coming 
 over after me," and out she jumped beside the 
 others. 
 
 Even Marian heard the mysterious movement 
 now, and was inclined to believe that the inmate 
 of the dark room might be a crazy person. 
 
 " Are you entirely deaf ? Speak," demanded 
 Harvey not realizing that their own position 
 might be considered peculiar. 
 
 A low sound, so very mysterious that it seemed 
 
122 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 like a person or beast in distress, answered him 
 and the three at the window drew back in fright. 
 
 " I — I'd rather stay out in the storm," cried 
 Marian. 
 
 " Let's go," cried Julia ready to run. 
 
 Perhaps Harvey's resolve to enter the mysteri- 
 ous abode would have been shaken had not a 
 flash of lightning revealed a crouching figure in 
 the room very near the window. 
 
 " It's — it's a bear," cried Julia her nerves still 
 shaken. 
 
 *' Nonsense. Come on in," and Harvey was 
 within the room before the girls could grasp him 
 to hold him back. 
 
 " Harve, come back," cried Marian. 
 
 "Oh, come on in. You're not afraid of a poor, 
 starved dog ? " he cried. 
 
 " A — a dog ? " she repeated h3^sterically. 
 
 The girls would hardly believe that all their 
 fright had been caused by such a poor, innocent 
 being until another flash of light revealed an 
 emaciated dog beside Harvey. Then they scram- 
 bled into the room, and began making a great 
 fuss over the starved animal. 
 
 " You dear old fellow — to think we were 
 afraid of you," cried Julia. 
 
 " Do you reckon he's all alone here ? " whis- 
 pered Marian to Harvey. 
 
 Julia, feeling the dog's ribs as she stroked his 
 side, continued, "Why you've been starved. I 
 
The Deserted Cabin 123 
 
 wish I bad some food for you. I'm hungry my 
 self, but I'd give every bite to you if I had 
 some. It's a shame, a dreadful shame." 
 
 He hardly heeded her, but whined pitifully. 
 Then he caught at Marian's skirt and pulled on 
 it. 
 
 " He wishes us to go with him," she said. 
 " I've heard of dogs acting like this before. I 
 wonder what he wants to tell us." 
 
 The dog whined and started across the room. 
 "When they did not follow, he returned and 
 pulled again at Marian's skirt. 
 
 " We ought to see what he wants," she whis- 
 pered, but it was so very dark that she held 
 back to see if her companions would go too. 
 
 " I suppose we ought to go," agreed Harvey. 
 Julia, too, thought that they ought to follow the 
 dog. Thus fortified by numbers, they started 
 across the room. 
 
 In the darkness of the storm, they could 
 only distinguish imperfectly their surroundings. 
 Harvey's quick eye noted a fireplace. Julia 
 stumbled over something that proved to be a 
 home manufactured stool. Marian bruised her 
 shins on a wooden chair, and then they were at a 
 door which was open. 
 
 " Suppose we find some one dead in there," 
 whispered Marian, catching hold of Julia who 
 shuddered and drew back, too. The dog alone 
 did not hesitate. He ran into the room and 
 
124 ^ ilfa/c/ of the Mountains 
 
 whined anew. So pitiful and so persistent was 
 his whining that it seemed to the girls his heart 
 was breaking. 
 
 " I — I can't bear to hear him," and Marian 
 placed her fingers in her ears. 
 
 " It scares me." 
 
 " Is any one in here ? " demanded Harvey. 
 
 Only the dog's moaning answered him. 
 
 " This is an awful place," sobbed Marian. 
 " It's worse than a haunted house. Let's go." 
 
 At this moment a light streamed through a 
 side window making every object in the room 
 stand out in bold prominence. Right beside the 
 door was a box that had served as a washstand, 
 for on it were an old broken pitcher, a tin basin 
 and a small piece of soap. The only other 
 piece of furniture was an old tumble down cot 
 over in the far corner of the room. The dog 
 stood with his front feet on the edge of the bed, 
 and had turned his head to make sure the chil- 
 dren had not gone. At sight of them he whined 
 even more pathetically, but they hardly dared 
 look his way for fear some ghastly spectacle 
 might meet their eyes. And yet the mystery of 
 the place drew their eyes to the bed. At first 
 an old sheet and blanket on the cot made it seem 
 as if somebody might be there. While still un- 
 certain what ghastly revelation awaited them, 
 the light gave out. The girls with their hearts 
 thumping wildly, and Harvey hardly less moved, 
 
The Deserted Cabin 125" 
 
 awaited breathlessly another illumination. In a 
 few seconds their suspense was relieved. Except 
 themselves, no living person was in the room. 
 
 " He doesn't know where his master is any 
 more than we do. He's asking us about it," 
 Marian said brokenly. 
 
 " It's very strange." Harvey was trying not 
 to appear affected, but a lump would rise in his 
 throat. " There's another room over there, I 
 think. Let's see what we can find in there." 
 
 The girls did not care for more adventure, but 
 they would not be left alone, and so they fol- 
 lowed Harvey into the back room. The dog ran 
 after them. He was vastly interested in their 
 investigation. Probably he hoped their intelli- 
 gence might fathom a mystery which had baffled 
 him. 
 
 As the children crossed the threshold into the 
 third and last room, they felt an unusually cold 
 blast of air, and a creaking sound so startled the 
 girls that they cried out in fright. 
 
 " Who's here ? " demanded Harvey in a very 
 brave voice, but his own heart was going like a 
 hammer. 
 
 The creaking sound did not stop although he 
 received no reply. Combined with the howling 
 of the wind, it made them all more nervous. 
 
 " Let's go. This house is worse than the storm." 
 
 "It's strange the dog don't seem to mind," 
 whispered Julia. 
 
126 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Another flash of light made all their spirits 
 rise. ^ 
 
 " Why, the door's open. That's what is mak- 
 ing the noise," cried Harvey. 
 
 In fact the kitchen door was swinging to and 
 fro on half broken hinges, and the wind was 
 beating in the rain in wild torrents. 
 
 Harvey tried to close the door fast, but there 
 was no lock or bolt to keep it shut. Finally it 
 came to him that he had seen logs on the hearth 
 in the front room, and he went for one and 
 placed it against the door. 
 
 "I do hope nothing more can happen. I'd 
 break down completely, I know. I do wish we 
 were home around the open fire. I'm dreadfully 
 cold," murmured Marian, shivering as she spoke. 
 
 " And I'm cold," added Julia, beginning to 
 realize that they were all very wet and miserable. 
 
 " You shall have a fire in a few minutes, girls. 
 I've some matches in my pocket and there were 
 other logs on the hearth," answered Harvey. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 Harvey Brings Watch to Beth 
 
 "It isn^t half so doleful now," said Marian, 
 sinking down on the hearth after the fire was 
 well started. 
 
 For a few moments they enjoyed the heat and 
 light from the fire in silence. The dog alone re- 
 fused to be comforted. He wandered around dis- 
 consolately, but came back every once in a while 
 to attract their attention by whining. 
 
 " It's because he's so hungry," declared Julia, 
 judging by his appearance and the state of her 
 own feelings. 
 
 " It's very strange about him," said Harvey. 
 *' With the door open, why didn't he go and seek 
 food ? " 
 
 " Perhaps there's less myster}^ than we're mak- 
 ing out." Julia was always quick to recover 
 from any depression. If she had not been so 
 hungry, she would have been actually cheerful 
 now that she had been warmed by the blaze. 
 " Perhaps the people around here are all off at 
 some party or something, and were caught in the 
 rain like us." 
 
 " These houses don't look like they belonged to 
 
130 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 people who go to afternoon parties," answered 
 Harvey. " And even if tliey did, I don't believe 
 everybody would go, and why didn't the dog fol- 
 low when he had the chance ? It's very strange." 
 He noted that his words were having a depress- 
 ing effect, and added, " but we're very comfor- 
 table now so what's the use of bothering our 
 heads ? The storm will let up presently and 
 away we'll go all right." He wondered, however, 
 how they would be able to find their way home 
 if there was no one to direct them. 
 
 The dog was still moaning which made Marian 
 spring to her feet. 
 
 "I've got to do something for him. I can't 
 stand his howling so. I'm going to try catching 
 some rain water for him." 
 
 " I'd like a drink, too," said Julia, and went 
 with Marian into the middle room for the broken 
 pitcher. They emptied some stale water which 
 they found in the pitcher ; then they went into 
 the kitchen and removed the log from the door. 
 The wind slammed the door open and a gush of 
 wind and rain struck the girls squarely in the 
 face. 
 
 "The storm's growing worse instead of bet- 
 ter," said Marian as she stood in the doorway 
 trying to clean the pitcher before setting it out- 
 side. 
 
 " I feel sorry for our horses, but the trees will 
 protect them." 
 
Harvey Brings Watch to Beth 131 
 
 In a very short while the pitcher was ahuost 
 filled. "While Marian carried it in, Julia hastily 
 replaced the log. 
 
 The three children enjoyed a drink and gave 
 the dog what was left, after which he settled 
 down on the hearth beside them. 
 
 Marian looked dreamily at the fire. " It must 
 be supper- time. I wonder if they'll wait for us. 
 Just think how we were feasting last night at 
 this time." 
 
 " We'd better not think of it. Water is a 
 pretty poor substitute for food when one's 
 hungry," sighed Julia. 
 
 The dog had fallen into a troubled slumber, 
 but he moaned even in his sleep. 
 
 "Beth'll " 
 
 A sudden noise outside brought all three 
 children to their feet instantly. The dog wak- 
 ened, but only looked expectant. 
 
 " They're coming home," whispered Julia. 
 
 "Suppose they're robbers," ventured Marian. 
 
 "I don't see anything to steal. It sounds to 
 me like horses stamping around. 
 
 "Mavbe some one's after our horses. What 
 would we do then ? I don't believe we ever 
 could find our way home on foot." 
 
 Now that they were all listening so intently, 
 they noted anew how the wind shrieked around 
 the cabin and finally drowned the other noise. 
 
 "We might be murdered and the folks at 
 
132 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 home would never know what had become of 
 us," said fearful Marian. 
 
 "Nonsense," but Harvey felt less confident 
 than he pretended. Nevertheless, he walked 
 over to the window and tried to peer out, but it 
 was too dark to distinguish anything. Julia 
 glided to his side. 
 
 " Harve, come away. Even if we can't see 
 them, they can see us and might shoot — 
 
 A sudden crash in the back room made her 
 finish with a scream. She almost felt as if she 
 had been shot. 
 
 " They're coming through the kitchen. What 
 shall we do ? " Marian rushed over beside them, 
 and the three stood huddled together, trembling 
 greatly, uncertain what new calamity to expect, 
 and too startled to move. 
 
 There was no doubt about the kitchen door 
 being open. They knew it by the cold wind 
 that blew in on them. The dog, after a moment 
 or two, settled back on the hearth as if to con- 
 tinue his nap. 
 
 "There can't be any one in there or he 
 wouldn't take it so calmly," whispered Marian. 
 
 " Let's go and see," proposed Harvey. 
 
 The three on tiptoe sneaked to the threshold 
 of the kitchen. The wind shrieked so wildly 
 through the open door that they could not tell 
 if any one had been there. 
 
 
Harvey Brings Watch to Beth 133 
 
 ** What are you doing ? " demanded Harvey, 
 assuming very manly tones. 
 
 Wlien they received no reply, Julia confessed : 
 
 " I may have been careless about the log when 
 we brought the water in, and the wind must 
 have blown it down," and she walked boldly 
 over and slammed the door shut. Harvey, fol- 
 lowing close beside her, replaced the log against 
 the door. 
 
 " We're nervous enough to imagine anything," 
 which was a good deal for him to acknowledge. 
 "I believe the noise outside was only our own 
 animals stamping around, frightened by the 
 storm." 
 
 They returned to the front room a somewhat 
 subdued trio. As the fire was getting low, 
 Harvev threw on the last loo^ of wood. 
 
 " What shall we do when that burns out ? " 
 thought Marian. " It'll be awful in the dark." 
 Aloud she said, " I believe we might better have 
 gone on in the storm. They'll be awfully scared 
 about us." 
 
 " We couldn't have done it. It's too bad a 
 storm. Just listen how it's pouring now." 
 
 " Maybe this is the clearing rain," suggested 
 Marian. 
 
 " Well, just as soon as it lets up in the least 
 bit, we'll try to get home." 
 
 Too dispirited to talk about anything but their 
 
134 -^ ilfar'c/ of the Mountains 
 
 adventure, they gazed for a while in silence at the 
 flames, fast dying down. Hunger made them 
 more miserable, and the dog groaning in his 
 sleep did not add any cheer. Julia yawned, and 
 presently the others were doing likewise. 
 
 " If I wasn't scared, I'd be sleepy," confessed 
 Julia after another yawn. 
 
 " And so would I," agreed Marian. 
 
 Harvey slipped off his coat. 
 
 " What are you doing that for, Harve ? '* 
 
 " So you girls can have it for a pillow. Hon- 
 estly, I'll be plenty warm without it." 
 
 " I couldn't possibly sleep." 
 
 "JS'orl." 
 
 " Well it will not hurt you to rest. We'll be 
 starting soon now, and you'll need all your 
 strength to reach home. So just try to please 
 me." 
 
 " I'll use the dog for a pillow," answered 
 Marian, settling down beside him. 
 
 " That's cruelty to animals," declared Harvey. 
 *' I really don't want the coat and you must take 
 it." 
 
 Thus persuaded the girls accepted his kindly 
 offer, and with their arms twined about each 
 other lay down beside the dog with their heads 
 on the coat. 
 
 "This is nice, Harve," murmured Marian 
 sleepily. 
 
 " Don't talk," he said, adding, " I'm going to 
 
Harvey Brings Watch to Beth 135 
 
 rest myself." He had no such intention but 
 hoped the girls would sleep if he did not talk. 
 
 Although they had not expected to sleep, 
 neither remembered anything more until Harvey 
 awakened them. 
 
 *' Girls, the storm is over. We had better go," 
 were the welcome words they heard as conscious- 
 ness returned. For a moment they were some- 
 what confused as the fire had died out and left 
 them completely in the dark. 
 
 " Have we really and truly been asleep ? " 
 cried Marian, jumping up. Julia only rubbed 
 her eyes trying to waken fully. 
 
 " Well, I should say you had been sleeping — it 
 seemed hours to me." 
 
 " And you were awake all the time ? That 
 was brave of you, Harve. I wouldn't have 
 watched by myself." 
 
 " Has it really cleared ? " asked Julia who was 
 now standing and stretching her arms. 
 
 "The stars are out. Shall we take the dog 
 with us ? " 
 
 " Yes, yes," cried the girls together, and 
 Marian added, " Poor fellow, you shan't starve. 
 We'll feed you up well, and then send you 
 back." 
 
 She coaxed the dog to the door with her, but 
 he would not follow a step farther, coax as much 
 as they all would. 
 
 ** How very faithful he is even if his people do 
 
13^ A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 treat him so badly. I fear we'll have to leave 
 him," said Marian regretfully. "Perhaps it 
 would be wrong to coax him away even if we 
 could." 
 
 Meantime Harvey had gone over to unhitch 
 their steeds. 
 
 " E-ueur's gone ! " he cried. 
 
 The girls did not even stop to bid the dog 
 good-bye. They slammed the door shut and 
 hurried over beside Harvey. No single trace of 
 the mule was discernible, the rain having washed 
 all tracks away. One of the horses whinnied as 
 if he wished to tell something. 
 
 " He was stolen when we heard the noise," 
 cried Julia. 
 
 " More likely he was frightened by the storm 
 and broke loose. Mules are very strong. I 
 reckon it was he we heard tramping around. I 
 wish I had come out here at the time. I'm 
 ashamed of myself to think I was such a coward." 
 
 " We were worse than you. What shall we 
 do?" 
 
 "We'll have to ride double. Julia, being 
 lighter, had better go with me on the stronger 
 horse." 
 
 " If we only knew the way home, this would 
 be fun," declared Julia a moment later, mounted 
 behind Harvey. They decided to retrace their 
 steps back to the main road as riding through 
 the woods was " spooky," as they expressed it. 
 
Harvey Brings Watch to Beth 137 
 
 A howl from the cabin back of them caused 
 Marian's heart to sink. 
 
 '' Poor old fellow, he misses us terribly. Why 
 wouldn't he come with us ? " 
 
 For a short distance riding was easy because 
 of the carpet of pine needles over the path, but, 
 once on the clay road, the horses had to be very 
 careful of their footing as the storm had wrought 
 havoc there. The children chose the turn un- 
 traveled by them, hoping to come upon some 
 cabin, and they were not disappointed. After 
 riding about a quarter of a mile suddenly on the 
 left they beheld a hut, but in which gleamed no 
 welcoming light. 
 
 "Perhaps it's deserted like the others," said 
 Julia. 
 
 " "Well if any one's within, PU soon rouse them,'* 
 answered Harvey as he hurriedly alighted and 
 walked boldly up to the door. 
 
 At first he received no response, but just as he 
 was about to give up, some one within growled : 
 
 " What's wanted ? Xice time of night to rout 
 a feller out of bed." 
 
 Harvey had lost track of time but knew that 
 it could not be very late, and then he remembered 
 that mountaineers kept early hours. 
 
 a "VVe're lost. We want to know how to reach 
 Tremont." 
 
 The door opened cautiously and a tousled head 
 peeked out at him. 
 
138 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " Lost, be ye ? — Why, you uns be nothin' but 
 children. Whar war ye in the storm ? " 
 
 Harvey answered by a counter question. 
 " Can you tell us what's become of all the 
 people in the little settlement back here in the 
 woods ? " 
 
 "They're all gone — all gone," repeated the 
 man solemnly. 
 
 " Deserted the place ? " 
 
 " No — dead. Dead of smallpox, an' what was 
 left fled." 
 
 " Smallpox ? " repeated Harvey, too horrified 
 for more questioning. 
 
 " Oh, Julia, smallpox," gasped Marian, who had 
 overheard. 
 
 Julia said nothing, but her blood seemed to 
 stop flowing. 
 
 " You UHS didn't go in any of them air places, 
 did ver ? " 
 
 Harvey had no time to answer questions. 
 
 " I suppose the houses vrere fumigated," he 
 said. 
 
 " Fumigated," repeated the man, " fumigated ?" 
 Then to cover his ignorance he began to talk 
 that he might not be questioned. " They came 
 here to hew logs for the railroad, an' they brought 
 their wives an' children an' animals, ex- 
 pectin' " 
 
 " There's a dog in one of the houses now," in- 
 terrupted Harvey. 
 
Harvey Brings Watch to Beth 139 
 
 " I'd hearn that that thar dawg wuz back. 
 'Fore the man took down with smallpox, the 
 dawg an' him war every whar together. The 
 man had no wife nor chick, only the dawg, an' I 
 reckon he sot more by him than by any human 
 bein', for they say as how he wuz a queer chap 
 not like the rest, an' wuz moighty mum 'bout his 
 affairs. An' the dawg sot a power by his master. 
 While the man wuz down with the smallpox, 
 they say as how the dawg never left his side, an' 
 when the man died the dawg jes' grieved an' 
 grieved like a human bein'. Then when what 
 war left started 'way they tried to take ther dawg 
 'long with um, but he sneaked 'way somehow an' 
 come back huntin' his master I reckon. I've 
 hearn somethin' howlin' when I've been out in 
 the woods, but 'lowed as how hit moight be 
 ghosts." 
 
 " Please, please go over and coax him away," 
 called Marian. 
 
 " 'Deed not," answered the man unhesitatingly. 
 " I ain't no use fer dawgs, an' I won't never go 
 near them places, nohow." 
 
 " Did you see anything of a stray mule ? " 
 asked Harvey. 
 
 " A stray mule is hit ? " laughed the man. 
 "An hour or two gone, I looked out jes' 'fore 
 goin' to bed. Hit wuz stormin' powerful hard, 
 an' wuz that dark I couldn't make head or tail 
 of nothin'. Then the sky wuz all lit up fer a 
 
140 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 moment, an' I 'lowed I seen a pair of heels 
 streakin' toward Landrums. I rubbed my eyes 
 an' as hit wuz gone, I half reckoned I wuz dreamin', 
 but hit may have been a mule. But yer wanted 
 to know how to reach Tremont. I don't see as 
 how you uns can be lost. Yer've not far to go 
 to get thar now. Jes' keep right on, an' then 
 take the first turn to the right an' that takes yer 
 plum to ther railroad. Thar ride back a " 
 
 " Ride back ? " interrupted Harvey. 
 
 "Sartain sure. Tremont is back toward the 
 mountains." 
 
 Harvey could not understand how they had 
 circled out of their way so far, but he only said, 
 " Thank you. Good-night." 
 
 The man would have liked to question him 
 more, but Harvey was back in front of Julia and 
 away before the man had collected his thoughts. 
 
 For a moment or two the children rode on 
 in silence all thinking of what they had just 
 heard. 
 
 The trees on either side of the road, water-laden 
 and wind-shaken, shed great drops, wetting the 
 riders considerably, although no rain was falling. 
 Stars were trying to shine through fast scurrying 
 clouds. Although the wind had quieted some- 
 what, it still moaned as a discontented animal 
 in leash, and every once in a while it whirled 
 madly eastward as if trying to again escape 
 bounds. 
 
Harvey Brings Watch to Beth 141 
 
 " I hate to have papa and mamma know about 
 the smallpox," broke out Marian. Her voice sank 
 to a whisper at the very mention of the dread 
 plague. " They've had so much care lately, and 
 now, just as everything was coming along so 
 splendidly, to have this new worry is a shame." 
 
 " Don't let's tell until we're sure we're not go- 
 ing to have it. Were you girls vaccinated ? I 
 suppose you were because all the school children 
 had to be." 
 
 " Mine didn't take," Marian murmured. 
 
 " Mine took a little." 
 
 " Mine took all right. I was terribly sick," 
 added Harv^ey. "Don't worry, girls. I don't be- 
 lieve there's much danger although the man 
 didn't answer about fumigation. The people 
 around a civilized country like this wouldn't leave 
 a house like that open without taking every 
 possible precaution." 
 
 " We'll hope not, and I think it a good idea 
 not to speak of smallpox at home." Another 
 matter was troubling tender-hearted Marian. " I 
 can't help worrying about that poor dog. I'll not 
 be able to sleep to-night thinking of him without 
 anything to eat. I do wish that man had 
 promised to go for him. How could he be so 
 hard-hearted ? " 
 
 " I hear some one coming up the road," whis- 
 pered Julia. "Maybe it's a robber. Let's hide 
 behind the trees." 
 
142 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Although for a moment a bend in the road 
 screened the approaching rider, some one was un- 
 mistakably near. 
 
 " Nonsense. There are three of us and so we're 
 safe," answered Har\rey. 
 
 " It's a man on a mule," said Marian. 
 
 At the same moment the rider espied them and 
 cried out : 
 
 " Children, are you all safe ? " 
 
 "Why papa — it's you, and at first we were 
 afraid of you. Yes, we're all safe only Kueur's 
 gone." 
 
 " Thank God ! " he murmured as he rode up 
 beside them. 
 
 " Why Mr. Davenport, you're on Rueur," ex- 
 claimed Harvey, suddenly. 
 
 " Yes, a little girl brought him to the house 
 and we feared something had happened. I was 
 on my way to Landrums, but we mustn't stop 
 now. They're in dreadful suspense about you 
 at home, and we must ride as fast as the slippery 
 roads will allow." 
 
 He turned Kueur in the direction of Tremont, 
 and hunger so beset the sure-footed mule that he 
 easily distanced the horses, and would not be held 
 back, so there was little chance for conversation. 
 The mere presence of Mr. Davenport so eased the 
 children's minds that it seemed a very short time 
 to them before they saw the welcoming gleam of 
 the home lights. 
 
Harvey Brings Watch to Beth 143 
 
 " Chillun, cbillun, am dat yo' ? " called Maggie 
 from the doorway. 
 
 At the sound of their voices, she began shout- 
 ing, " Missy Beth, dey are safe, dey are come, an' 
 massa am wid dem. Glory halleluia." She 
 rushed into the house still shouting. The chil- 
 dren quickly followed. 
 
 Mrs. Davenport ran down to greet them. 
 Tears that had been held back while she feared 
 for their safety now forced their way to her 
 sparkling eyes and one or two even rolled down 
 her cheeks. It would have been a relief to shout 
 her joy with Maggie, but instead she hugged all 
 three of them, and even Harvey was glad to feel 
 her arms about him. 
 
 "Have they really, really come, mamma?" 
 they heard Beth calling down the stairs. " It's 
 too good to be true. I can't believe they're safe 
 until I see them." 
 
 " Hello, Beth," cried Harvey skipping up the 
 stairs two steps at a time. The girls and Mrs. 
 Davenport were not far behind. 
 
 " Oh, I'm so glad you've come ! Why I'm so 
 happy over it, I'd like to dance." 
 
 " I'll dance for you. Missy Beth," cried Gustus, 
 taking the centre of the floor and shuffling his 
 feet joyously. 
 
 Her eyes rested on him reprovingly. " You 
 said something would happen, Gustus, and now 
 they're here all right, signs or no signs." 
 
144 -^ ^^^^ ^f ^^^ Mountains 
 
 For an instant he was nonplused. " Dem 
 signs, Missy Beth — dem shurely meant some- 
 thin'. What 'bout dat mule comin' back widout 
 any one on him — what 'bout dat ? " 
 
 " He got loose, that's all," answered Marian. 
 " We have just heaps to tell only we're starved." 
 
 " Maggie has kept your supper warm, and 
 you'd better go right down to eat it," said Mrs. 
 Davenport. 
 
 "You'll all come back the minute you're 
 through and tell me everything that's happened, 
 won't you ? " begged Beth. 
 
 They promised, and then hurried down to their 
 belated supper. 
 
 " You must come down with us, Carol," in- 
 sisted Mrs. Davenport. 
 
 " I hain't one mite hungry," she answered, but 
 later she disproved her words by eating all of 
 Mr. Davenport's bountiful helping. 
 
 " It was very brave of you to come through 
 the dark and storm to tell us about Kueur, 
 Carol," said Mrs. Davenport, remembering she 
 had not thanked the girl. 
 
 Carol flushed, evidently pleased. " I did hit 
 'cause of yer gal," she muttered. " She was rale 
 good to me to-day, an' I like her." 
 
 Beth's parents exchanged glances, glad that 
 their little daughter won hearts easily. 
 
 Carol would have departed when they rose 
 from the table had they not insisted upon ho 
 
Harvey Brings Watch to Beth 145 
 
 going with them a while to Beth's room. They 
 knew that her people would not worry as they 
 supposed she was still at Landrums. 
 
 Even Gustus and Maggie went up-stairs to 
 hear what had befallen the children. All three 
 took turns in relating their adventure. 
 
 " It was risky your breaking in the cabin the 
 way you did," said Mr. Davenport when they 
 came to that part. " It is a hanging offense to 
 break in a house here in North Carolina. They're 
 as strict about it as they are about murder. 
 That's the reason so few homes are burglarized 
 in this state. It's strange that all the cabins 
 were deserted." 
 
 The girls exchanged glances then looked to 
 Harvey to say something but he was nonplused 
 for the moment. 
 
 " We wondered at it, too, papa," murmured 
 Marian, anxious to keep their secret. 
 
 " Possibly the owners caAie here to do some 
 special work on the railroad and, when it was 
 finished, they just deserted their cabins. You 
 say they were cheap affairs anyway ?" 
 
 " That was probably it, Mr. Davenport," 
 agreed Harvey quickly. 
 
 Marian breathed a sigh of relief. 
 
 " Go on about the dog," demanded Beth im- 
 patient of interruption. Her eyes grew misty as 
 they told of his pitiful condition. 
 
 " And he's starving ? " she murmured. " Oh, 
 
146 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 the poor, poor fellow. I wish he was here. 
 Can't we send for him ? " 
 
 " We'll send to-morrow," promised Mr. Daven- 
 port. 
 
 " But, papa, suppose he died in the night ? 
 Let's send some one for him now." 
 
 " Suppose we send Gustus," proposed Harvey, 
 his eyes twinkling. 
 
 Gustus's eyes began to roll. *' Ko, no, Massa 
 Harve, yo' wouldn't send me in de dark an' " 
 
 " You're not scared, Gustus ? " 
 
 " No, no, Massa, Harve," but his teeth chat- 
 tered. " I — I — it's too far to walk, ain't it, an' 
 I has no way to go." 
 
 " You'd lend him Rueur, wouldn't you, Beth ? " 
 and Harvey winked at her to see if she was 
 appreciating the fun with him. 
 
 But she was in no mood to enjoy the cowardice 
 of Gustus. " I'd be only too glad to have any 
 one take Rueur if they'd only bring that dog 
 here to-night." 
 
 " So, Gustus, there's nothing to keep you now," 
 continued Harvey tauntingly. 
 
 Gustus scratched his woolly head greatly per- 
 plexed. He would not acknowledge that he was 
 afraid to go, and did not know what to answer. 
 His face lightened with an unexpected solution 
 of the problem. 
 
 " How yo' done specs me to find dat place all 
 alone when I don't know whar it is ? " 
 
Harvey Brings Watch to Beth 147 
 
 " The man was sleeping, and Harve wakened 
 him," continued Marian who had gone on with 
 the recital while Harvey teased Gustus. 
 
 Carol rose. " Hit makes me 'low I moight 
 find them all to sleep to hum, so I must be 
 goin'." 
 
 " I'll see you home," cried Harvey with alacrity. 
 
 " Don't yer mind me," began Carol, but he did 
 not allow her to finish. *' Come on," he called 
 hurrying from the room, and she meekly fol- 
 lowed. 
 
 " He's growing suddenly very gallant," com- 
 mented Marian as the door closed behind the 
 two. " He's generally bashful with strangers." 
 
 " I reckon he feels sorry for Carol. I do," 
 said Beth, but quickly added, " I don't know 
 why I'm sorry though. She says they are to 
 have heaps and heaps of money. I wonder if 
 it's so." 
 
 *' I've heard about her folks then," said Mr. 
 Davenport. 
 
 *' Are they to be rich, papa ? " 
 
 " I can't say. All I know is that lawyers are 
 making her father think he's to have vast wealth. 
 It seems that some branch of the Cornwell 
 family owned property in Alabama " 
 
 " Carol told me that they used to live there," 
 interrupted Beth and added, " Tell me all you 
 know, papa. I'm very much interested in Carol, 
 and I'm so glad she's " Beth suddenly 
 
148 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 stopped. She was ashamed even to have thought 
 Carol untruthful. 
 
 " Well this property was left to another 
 branch of the family, and CaroPs grandfather 
 made no objections as the property was consid- 
 ered practically worthless, but very recently 
 rich deposits of iron ore have been discovered on 
 the land whiich makes it extremely valuable. 
 Then some lawyer found that there was some 
 flaw in the title — some ancestor had failed to 
 sign a deed I believe, or it may not have been 
 properly witnessed. Anyway the lawyer got 
 after old man Corn well in Alabama and made 
 him believe he could get back his share of the 
 land, and so he carried the matter into court. 
 He died very suddenly and what little he had was 
 left to his son up here along with the lawsuit." 
 
 " And they're really to have money ? " ques- 
 tioned Beth. 
 
 " No one can tell as to that. If they win the 
 case, they'll be very wealthy, but if they lose, 
 they'll be worse off than ever for the lawyers 
 are getting what little money Cornwell had, and 
 the worst of it is that he refuses to work now, 
 
 and " but he too stopped suddenly, deciding 
 
 that he would not speak of the dark cloud that 
 hung over Carol through her father. 
 
 Beth was so busy picturing Carol with wealth 
 that she did not notice any break. 
 
 " She'll have the fine things she was telling 
 
Beth 
 
€ 
 
Harvey Brings Watch to Beth 149 
 
 about and take music lessons — I don't believe 
 she can sing, though. I hope she'll come again," 
 she thought, and the romance of the situation 
 caused her to feel an added interest in the moun- 
 tain girl. In fact Beth was so absorbed in specu- 
 lation in regard to Carol that she had to tell all 
 she had learned from the mountain girl to see 
 what they would think. Time passed quickly 
 for all present but Gustus. He alone realized 
 the lateness of the hour. He yawned and tried 
 to attract attention to his sleepiness. But 
 failing by quiet means, he arose and stretched 
 his arms gaping noisily. 
 
 "Why, Gustus, are you sleepy ?" cried Beth, 
 greatly surprised. 
 
 " I reckon I ought ter be, Missy Beth. 'Peers 
 like to me it must be powerful late." 
 
 "Why it is late," exclaimed Mr. Davenport 
 looking at his watch. 
 
 " I wonder why Harvey don't come," said 
 Beth. " He can't be staying all this time down 
 at Carol's." 
 
 " Perhaps it's storming again," and Marian 
 walked to one of the French windows at the 
 end of the room. She opened it and looked out. 
 
 " No, it has cleared up for good. The moon 
 is shining. Why somebody is riding up our 
 road," she added as she was about to turn away 
 from the window. " Who can it be so late at 
 night ? " 
 
150 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Julia and Gustus ran over to look too. 
 
 " Whoebber it am, dey're leadin' somethin'," 
 muttered Gustus. *' It looks like a bear." 
 
 " Hello, girls," called the rider. 
 
 " Why it's Harvey, Beth," cried Marian, rush- 
 ing back into the room. " Where can he have 
 been, and I wonder what he has with him ? " 
 
 Beth's heart beat convulsively. She wondered 
 if Harvey could have ridden forth to please her, 
 but then concluded that it was too great an un- 
 dertaking for him. But just as she had come to 
 this conclusion, Harvey walked proudly into the 
 room leading a dog by a rope. 
 
 ^' Oh, Harve, how good of you," Beth gasped. 
 
 " Why it's our dog of the cabin," cried Marian. 
 She and Julia rushed to the dog's side. He 
 looked up at them as if pleased to see them 
 again. 
 
 " You rode all alone for him ? That was very 
 manly of you, Harvey," said Mrs. Davenport. 
 
 " It came to me when Beth spoke of being so 
 very sorry about the dog that I just couldn't 
 leave him there until morning, for he might have 
 starved the way she feared," explained Harvey. 
 " She said any one was welcome to take Rueur, 
 and when I offered to go with Carol it was all a 
 bluff. I knew she wouldn't be afraid to go home 
 alone. She said she wasn't, so I just hurried 
 down-stairs, to get some food for the dog. Then 
 I saddled Rueur and rode back to the cabin as 
 
Haroeyi Brings Watch to Beth 151 
 
 hard as I could go. I heard the poor old fellow 
 howling long before I reached the cabin, and I 
 am mighty glad I didn't wait until morning." 
 
 " Was he glad to see you ? " asked Marian, her 
 face beaming. 
 
 " Glad ? Glad is no name for it. He jumped 
 all over me and gobbled up every bit of the food 
 I gave him." 
 
 " And weren't you afraid going back there all 
 alone? I wouldn't have gone for the world," 
 said Marian with a shudder. 
 
 " Kot a bit of it," and Harvey laughed. " I 
 was thinking all the time how surprised you 
 would all be, and how glad Beth would be, and 
 so I was there and back in no time." 
 
 " I'm more glad than I can tell. It's about as 
 nice a thing as I ever had done for me." Beth 
 also smiled her approval. " What shall we call 
 the dog ? You name him, Harve." 
 
 " How would Watch do ? You know he was 
 watching for his dead master." 
 
 " His dead master ? " repeated Mrs. Daven- 
 port. 
 
 Again Harvey and the girls exchanged 
 glances. 
 
 " We thought perhaps his master was dead," 
 muttered Harvey. " What do you think of 
 Watch for a name, Beth ? " 
 
 " It's a good name. Come here, Watch," 
 agreed Beth. 
 
152 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 "Now to bed," said Mrs. Davenport, rising. 
 " Marian, come with me. I wish to speak to you." 
 
 Utterly unsuspicious of what was coming, 
 Marian followed her mother as requested. 
 
 " You are keeping something from me. What 
 is it ? " Mrs. Davenport demanded, facing Marian. 
 
 Marian's face crimsoned. " How did you know, 
 mamma ? " 
 
 " I saw you and Harvey exchange glances, and 
 then I knew by your face." 
 
 Marian threw her arms about her mother's 
 neck. " We didn't want to worry you," she mur- 
 mured, " but it will not be so hard if you know." 
 
 As Mrs. Davenport heard how the people in 
 the cabins had died of smallpox, she drew Marian 
 closer. For a moment after Marian had finished, 
 fighting her own fears, the mother said nothing. 
 
 " Suppose they had really been exposed, was it 
 not her duty to keep them a^vay from Beth ? '* 
 This was one of the questions she turned over 
 and over in her mind. 
 
 " No," she finally decided, " if there's any danger 
 of contagion, the damage has already been done, 
 and we can but hope for the best." 
 
 Aloud she said, " We will not tell the others. 
 There is no use worrying them, and we will not 
 believe there is danger of contagion for any of 
 you. The house must have been fumigated. Do 
 not worry, dear. Good-night and God keep and 
 bless you." 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 The '' Wicked Woman " 
 
 The following morning, Beth was again carried 
 down to the south piazza. She was gaining 
 strength rapidly. Her face was joyous as she 
 sat propped up in the hammock, surrounded by 
 all her pets, the squirrel, Dick, the mocking-bird, 
 Duke and the new dog, Watch. The latter ap- 
 peared to like his new home, but Duke was in- 
 clined to be jealous of any attention shown the 
 stranger. 
 
 "Duke Davenport, you should just be ashamed 
 of yourself," said Beth, calling him to her and 
 shaking her finger reprovingly. He jumped up 
 placing his two great front paws on the edge of 
 the hammock and from the way his tail wagged, 
 he appeared to think his mistress was praising 
 him. Perhaps it was because her voice was mild 
 even though scolding him. 
 
 " It's very, very naughty to be jealous. I used 
 to be, and so I know it's wrong, Dukie. Don't 
 tell, but it's hard not to be sometimes now. 
 Mamma is teaching me not to be and I must teach 
 you. Besides you have no cause to be jealous. 
 I'll always love you the best." 
 
156 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Duke barked as if he understood. 
 
 "Go down now and play with "Watch," she 
 commanded, pushing him away. He stalked 
 down beside the new dog and began sniffing at 
 him as much as to say : 
 
 " My mistress wants me to be friends with you. 
 I'm not sure I can like you, but for her sake I'll 
 try." 
 
 Beth pulled the squirrel up to her and unfasten- 
 ing the chain, said : 
 
 " You can go again, but you must come back at 
 meal-time like you did yesterday." 
 
 Joyously, the squirrel bounded away. At this 
 moment, Dick, hanging in the cage near Beth, 
 broke into song and she looked up at him admir- 
 ingly. 
 
 " You're the finest singer I have ever heard," 
 she thought, and then she began to feel sorry for 
 him because he was a captive. 
 
 " Did you ever know what it is to be free, 
 Dickie bird ? " she asked as he paused an instant. 
 " No, or you couldn't sing like that," she answered 
 for him. " I wish I dared let you go free, but 
 you'd jiever come back, and I'd miss you. We'll 
 try to make you happy. You shall come out 
 here every day with me." 
 
 Whereupon Dick broke into a new song, and 
 Carol coming up the hill to visit Beth, paused 
 enraptured. 
 
 " Oh, if I could sing like that, I'd be powerful 
 
The ''Wicked Woman " 157 
 
 glad," she murmured, drinking in greedily every 
 sweet note. 
 
 Beth, did not see her as her attention was taken 
 up by sight of Harvey, Marian and Julia on horse- 
 back. 
 
 " You're off, are you ? " she called. 
 
 " Yes, we had to get an early start as we're to 
 hunt up chickens and eggs this morning," 
 answered Marian. " Don't get lonely while we're 
 gone." 
 
 " Don't you get lost to-day," was Beth's parting 
 shot. 
 
 Watch started to follow the riders, and Beth 
 began calling him, but, as he was unaccustomed 
 to his new name, he did not heed her. 
 
 Carol came to her rescue by chasing the dog 
 and brino^ino^ him back to Beth. 
 
 "Thank you, Carol. I was afraid he'd get 
 lost. I'm glad to see you," said Beth as Carol 
 stood panting before her, holding Watch by the 
 collar that Beth had placed on him before letting 
 him loose. 
 
 " Whar did yer get him ? He looks like a 
 purp of Brune's that a man who came to work 
 on the railroad got from we uns." 
 
 Beth explained how Watch had been brought 
 by Harvey the night before. 
 
 " He's Brune's purp sartain sure." She patted 
 his head as she spoke and then called, " Brune, 
 Brune, come an' see yer son ! '^ 
 
158 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Brune, always within hailing distance of her 
 voice, bounded into sight, and Watch broke free 
 from Carol's hold to run down beside Brune, 
 greeting him as if he knew the relationship 
 between them. 
 
 "• Look, he knows Brune an' Brune knows 
 him ! " cried Carol delightedly. " He'll be a 
 good dawg if he's anythin' like his pap. 
 Here's a present fer yer," she added drawing 
 a soiled red ribbon from her pocket. " A lady 
 gave hit to me onct, an' I sot a power by hit, 
 but I wants yer to have hit." 
 
 Beth drew back. " Oh, Carol, I'd rather have 
 you keep it." 
 
 Carol looked disappointed. " Perhaps yer 
 don't think hit nice." 
 
 " It's not that." Beth hated to hurt her feel- 
 ings and added, " I always like red." 
 
 *' Yer must take hit then," and the ribbon was 
 thrust down beside Beth who began turning 
 over in her mind what she should give Carol 
 in return. 
 
 The two girls were so intent on their own 
 affairs that they had not noticed the approach of 
 a lady on horseback, but the three dogs leaped 
 out into the path before the rider and barked. 
 
 " Oh, Mrs. Morton, I'm so glad to see you," 
 cried Beth, delightedly. 
 
 Carol arose, intending to sneak away. 
 
 " Why, that dog looks like one my husband 
 
The '* Wicked Woman *' 159 
 
 lost up in these mountains a few years ago ! " 
 exclaimed Mrs. Morton pointing to Carol's dog. 
 " His name was Brune." 
 
 For a moment Carol stood like one paralyzed. 
 Her face grew so very white that she seemed to 
 have no vitality left ; then this inaction gave 
 place to a frenzy of passion. She flew down the 
 steps like one possessed while her eyes blazed. 
 
 " Yer shan't take my dawg," she cried, clinch- 
 ing her hands. " Brune's mine, he's my dawg. 
 Come away, Brune. We'll hide from that wicked 
 woman," and down the hill she started with 
 Brune close after her. 
 
 At first Beth was too surprised to speak. 
 
 " Call her back," commanded Mrs. Morton. 
 
 " Carol, don't run away. Please come back," 
 pleaded Beth. 
 
 Unshaken in her resolve to keep Brune at any 
 cost, Carol ran desperately fast until she no 
 longer heard Beth calling except in imagination. 
 
 Gasping, she drew Brune close to her, and 
 sinking down on the ground beside him, threw 
 her arms about him, weeping as if fearful he 
 would be torn from her any instant. 
 
 "She shan't take yer from me. We'll run far 
 'wav where that wicked, wucked woman kin 
 never find us." She arose and started toward 
 the mountains as if to carry her threat into im- 
 mediate effect. With every step, it seemed as if 
 she heard Beth calling, calling. Again she threw 
 
i6o A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 herself down by Brune, sobbing even more 
 convulsively. As if sharing her fear, he 
 whined. 
 
 " She'll never like me no more," Carol thought 
 with Beth's call tugging at her heart. " But I 
 can't go back, an' give my dawg up. I can't 
 do hit." 
 
 Once more she trudged on a lictle way, but 
 all the while her love for Beth was urging her to 
 return. 
 
 "Maybe the wicked woman wouldn't take 
 Brune from me if she knew as how I loved him." 
 Again she turned to the dog. " I'd go to jail 
 'fore I'd let any one take yer from me," she 
 murmured. " Brune, I don't want yer to follow 
 me. Yer must lie here till I cum fer yer, an' 
 then if we can't stay rightly together, we'll run 
 far 'way. That's right, lie still." 
 
 Several times on the way back she would have 
 rejoined Brune if love for Beth had not strength- 
 ened her toward right doing. 
 
 The sight of Mrs. Morton, or the "wicked 
 woman " as she still termed her, talking earnestly 
 to Beth, enraged Carol anew so that she would 
 have again fled if Beth had not caught sight of 
 her dress among the trees. 
 
 "Carol, I'm so glad you've come back." 
 
 As Carol sidled toward the porch, sobs choked 
 her ; her eyes were so blurred that she could see 
 hardly a step ahead. So frightened was she that 
 
The ''Wicked Woman " 161 
 
 her knees gave way, causing her to fall limply 
 down at the foot of the steps. 
 
 " Don't take my dawg, don't take Brune," she 
 sobbed. " He's 'bout all I have to love in all the 
 world. I love him, I do." 
 
 Until this moment, Mrs. Morton had fully in- 
 tended to claim the dog, principally because of 
 Carol's defiant attitude, and even Beth thought 
 Carol in the wrong, but her evident grief melted 
 both their hearts. 
 
 " Haven't you parents ? " questioned Mrs. 
 Morton. 
 
 " Yes, but — but paw, he — he " — Carol meant 
 to tell how he ill-treated them all, hoping to 
 gain sympathy so that she could keep Brune, 
 but pride held the confession back. " Only let 
 me keep Brune, an' I'll work fer yer," she 
 pleaded. When Mrs. Morton did not answer 
 immediately, Carol added defiantly, "Yer kin 
 send me to jail, only I must keep him." Sud- 
 denly a new inspiration came to her. " Don't 
 take Brune, an' I'll give yer all my money when 
 hit comes. "We're to have heaps, 'though we 
 hain't much now. Please, please let me keep 
 him." 
 
 " Brune is yours. I give him to you," an- 
 swered Mrs. Morton. 
 
 The reaction made Carol hysterically happy ; 
 her face was transfigured. 
 
 " Oh, oh, oh," she sobbed and laughed. " I — 
 
i62 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 I can't help hit 'cause now no one never kin take 
 Brune from me ! " She sprang up the steps be- 
 side Mrs. Morton and seizing her hand kissed it 
 over and over. 
 
 " Forgive me," she sobbed. " I called yer a 
 wicked woman an' I'm the wicked one. I wish 
 I could make yer as happy as yer have made 
 me. Ye're the nicest woman in the world, onlv 
 yer look powerful sad. Is thar any thin' I kin do 
 fer yer ? " 
 
 Mrs. Morton's face twitched convulsively. 
 " No one can help me," she murmured. To hide 
 the tears that welled over as she spoke, she turned 
 hastily toward the house. 
 
 " I am going in to see your mother a moment, 
 Beth." 
 
 "Did I say somethin' as I hadn't ort to?" 
 questioned Carol. 
 
 " She has just lost her little baby girl — her 
 only child." 
 
 Carol was distressed. " I'm rale sorry ; rale, 
 rale sorrv. Isn't thar somethin' I kin do fer her 
 fer givin' me back Brune ? I love her 'cause she 
 did that." 
 
 " If there's ever anything she wants done, I'll 
 let you know, Carol." 
 
 " An' I'd do hit no matter how hard hit'd be." 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 Don 
 
 Morning after morning, Carol came to keep 
 Beth company, but she always waited until the 
 riders had departed, and then bobbed up in the 
 most unexpected manner. She seldom came 
 empty-handed. Sometimes, she only had a 
 flower, picked on the way ; other times, it was 
 some knickknack that she treasured, articles ut- 
 terly useless in themselves, but very precious in 
 the eyes of Carol. Beth rebelled over accepting 
 such gifts, still her protests proved of little avail. 
 
 " Rich folks always give presents," she an- 
 swered when Beth objected. " 'Sides I love yer 
 an' love to give yer things." 
 
 Not only did she bring her offerings to Beth, 
 but she brought others to send Mrs. Morton. 
 
 " She's rich like you, an' don't have no use for 
 the presents I send, but it 'peers like to me that 
 the love thoughts I send 'long with the things 
 may help her," confided Carol to Beth, and 
 when Beth repeated this to Mrs. Morton, the 
 lonely woman was so pleased that she resolved 
 to help the little waif of the mountains if she 
 could. 
 
i66 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 On these morning visits of Carol's, the two 
 girls were always surrounded by their pets. 
 The squirrel alone ran away from them, but in- 
 variably, exactly at meal time, it reappeared. 
 
 " How do you suppose it knows when to come 
 back ? It has no time like us to go by," said 
 Beth to Carol. 
 
 " Hit's like me, I reckon. I hain't never had 
 no time to go by, but my stomach tells me when 
 hit's time to eat. Animals don't need to larn 
 sech things. Look at Dickie thar. He never 
 had no lessons, but he's as good as any singer 
 that's had lessons an' lessons. He jes' keeps his 
 ears open an' then lets forth. That's the way to 
 larn." 
 
 In truth, Dickie was proving not only a 
 wonderful vocalist, but a great mimic. Both 
 Beth and Carol were intensely interested in 
 watching the progress he made. 
 
 His first achievement was to mimic the roost- 
 ers and hens. The girls could hardly believe the 
 sounds did not come from the hen-house when 
 he startled them with a crow and then a cackle. 
 
 " I 'most 'spected to see him flap his wings," 
 announced Carol the second time he crowed. 
 
 The pussy that Gustus had was very playful, 
 but it mewed a great deal as it was always 
 hungry and that was the only way it had of call- 
 ing attention to its wants. Beth always knew 
 when it was around by its cry. 
 
Don 167 
 
 " Meow, meow," heard Beth and Carol as they 
 were deeply absorbed in playing with Beth's 
 dolls. 
 
 " Here kitty, kitty, kitty," called Beth, but no 
 kitty jumped up as usual on the hammock with 
 her. 
 
 " Meow, meow." 
 
 " Where is kitty ? I can't see her any place," 
 said Beth. 
 
 *' Hit hain't kitty. Hit's Dickie." 
 
 Another morning, before Carol had appeared, 
 the children rode around as usual to bid Beth 
 good-bye. As the horses neared the piazza, one 
 of them whinnied. Dick cocked his wise little 
 head to listen. The horse whinnied the second 
 time, and Dick heeded even more intently. 
 
 " Oh, Beth ! " exclaimed Marian, " we've some- 
 thing perfectly lovely to tell you. Mamma thinks 
 all danger of our hanng the smallpox is past. " 
 
 " Smallpox," repeated Beth blankly. 
 
 Marian laughed gayly. " Oh, I forgot you didn't 
 know," and then she explained how they had 
 been exposed the night they were lost. 
 
 After they had ridden away, Beth lay in the 
 hammock with deep gratitude in her heart that 
 nothing worse than a scare had followed that 
 awful night. 
 
 Suddenly she was startled by a whinny. She 
 looked to see if they were returning, but there 
 was no sign of horse, mule or human being. She 
 
i68 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 thought she must have imagined the sound, but 
 again she heard a whinny just like the one the 
 horse had made a few minutes before. But still 
 no horse was in sight, and so she decided that it 
 must have come from a distance, and sounded so 
 near because of the wonderful mountain air. 
 
 Just as she accepted this solution, for the third 
 time she heard the whinny and it was unmistak- 
 ably near-by. 
 
 *' Hit's Dickie ! Hit's Dickie ! " cried Carol, 
 emerging from behind a tree where she had been 
 watching. " I know hit's him," she continued as 
 she rushed up on the piazza. " I saw him with 
 my own eyes." 
 
 That it was Dick seemed incredible to Beth, 
 until being so pleased over his new accomplish- 
 ment, he whinnied once more. 
 
 " It is Dick," cried Beth so delighted that she 
 clapped her hands as if she expected an encore. 
 " Isn't he wonderful ? IS'ext to Duke, I love him 
 the best of any of my pets." 
 
 " I've another pet for yer. I'll be back in no 
 time." 
 
 Beth tried to detain her, but she would not 
 heed. Dick broke forth into a joyous flood of 
 song, and Beth so sympathized with his mood 
 that she sang also. Besides her joy in the mock- 
 ing-bird, she had great cause for rejoicing. She 
 was just beginning to walk around a little by 
 herself and there was never a happier or prouder 
 
Don 1 69 
 
 girl than she to think that soon she would need 
 no more waiting on, but could do things for her- 
 self and go around like other girls. 
 
 " I wonder what I can get for Carol ? " thought 
 Beth as she saw her coming back up the hill 
 carrying something in her hand that was covered 
 with a cloth and which on nearer view proved to 
 be a cage. 
 
 ^' What are you doing with that, Carol ? " 
 questioned Beth not dreaming it could be the 
 present for her. 
 
 "Hit's my robin." Carol looked very impor- 
 tant. " I've had hit most a year, an' hit am a 
 powerful nice singer, but not rale peart like Dickie 
 thar, but I 'low as how Don'll larn some from 
 Dickie, an' I'll think on that if I ever miss him." 
 
 " She wants to give me even her beloved robin. 
 What shall I do?" thought Beth. Carol had 
 told her how greatly she prized the bird, and 
 Beth felt that she could not accept such a gift. 
 
 ^' It was nice of you to bring it over to visit 
 Dickie and me," she said aloud. 
 
 Carol looked distressed. " I reckoned as how 
 yer'd keep Don." 
 
 " Let me see Don." Beth purposely evaded 
 the question of accepting the gift. Past tilts 
 with Carol in which she had been routed made 
 her dread defeat. 
 
 As Carol drew off the cloth, there was a gleam 
 in her blue eyes that caused Beth's heart to 
 
170 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 sink. Carol, did not intend to be kept from her 
 purpose. 
 
 " Hit am pretty to look on, hain't hit ? " asked 
 Carol, placing the uncovered cage on a table beside 
 Beth. "' An' if hit don't sing as nice as Dickie, 
 hit'll surely larn by bein' here with him." 
 
 Beth started to reply, but a warning finger was 
 held up for, as the sunlight flooded Don's cage, 
 he cocked his head on one side. 
 
 " Hush, he's goin' to sing," whispered Carol, 
 triumphantly. 
 
 At that instant, Dickie, with an eye on the new- 
 comer, broke into song, so joyous, so beautiful, 
 that even Beth, accustomed to wonderful trills 
 and runs from the fine little singer, was 
 astonished ; while as for Don, he looked up in 
 evident wonderment and envy. He had never 
 even dreamed of such music before. The song in 
 his own throat was hushed to listen and marvel. 
 
 " Dickie's pleased to see Don," whispered Beth 
 fearing that it might not be real polite of her bird 
 to interrupt the visitor, and that Carol might feel 
 hurt. 
 
 Carol did not seem to mind. She smiled 
 happily. " Don's listenin' to larn. Dickie'll 
 give him lessons all the time. I'm so glad ye're to 
 have Don. I " 
 
 Beth faced her with determination not to yield 
 this time. 
 
 " But Carol, I can't keep your " 
 
Don 171 
 
 "Oh, yes, yer kin." Carol looked at her so 
 pleadingly that she had to reassure herself that 
 she was in the right not to relent a little. 
 
 " My maw won't be bothered with Don ; she 
 says I've got to get rid of him, an' hit'll be a rale 
 kindness if yer'll keep him for me. I'd hate to 
 let him fly away." 
 
 " I might sell him for you." 
 
 " Sell him ? " tears rose to her eyes, and affected 
 also her voice. " I love him too much fer that. 
 If yer won't take him fer me, I'll have to let him 
 go. Please, please take him, I'd miss him so if I 
 bad to let him go." 
 
 " But you'd miss him if I took him." 
 
 " Then I'd see him every day, an' hit'll be a 
 comfort to think of him with some one I love. 
 Yer won't make me cry by not keepin' him ? 
 Please, please let Don stay fer hit'll make me an' 
 him rale happy." 
 
 What could Beth do in the face of such insist- 
 ent pleading ? However, she did not accept out- 
 right. 
 
 " I'll keep him for you until your money comes," 
 she said for she had grown to think that Carol 
 was to have the money she so confidently ex- 
 pected. "Your mother cannot object to your 
 having him then." Then she added, " haven't 
 you a doll, Carol ? I've never seen you with one 
 of your own." 
 
 " Me have a doll ? " repeated Carol. " I never 
 
172 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 had none, but I'll have all I want when I'm rich. 
 I'll have one with dark curlin' hair like yourn, 
 an' brown eyes, an' I'll dress hit like a lady." 
 
 Beth immediately decided to send to Spartan- 
 burg for such a doll, but she said nothing of her 
 intention as she wished it for a surprise. 
 
 The following morning, Carol was over earlier 
 than usual to see how her pet was behaving. 
 
 " I believe Don's homesick," announced Beth 
 in greeting. " He hasn't sung a mite, but 
 Dickie's very happy over having him here. He 
 sings almost every minute of the time. Just hear 
 him now, and see how Don watches him." 
 
 " Don's takin' lessons," insisted Carol. " Jes' 
 as I'm goin' to do when we get our money." 
 
 Day by day, Don continued his unwonted 
 silence, and Dickie sang most of the time. The 
 coming of Don taught Dickie a word. Beth 
 felt sorry for the robin, and talked to him quite 
 a little calling him often by name. She did not 
 realize that Dickie was listening, but all at once 
 he commenced calling, " Don, Don." 
 
 Sometimes Beth closed the windows of the 
 library, and allowed the birds a taste of liberty. 
 They enjoyed flying around the room immensely, 
 but when tired they willingly reentered their 
 cages. 
 
 One morning just as Beth had freed the birds, 
 Carol appeared at the front window. Not 
 observing what Beth was doing, she tried the 
 
Don 173 
 
 window and, finding it unlocked, swung it open 
 quietly, and was inside the room before Beth 
 noted her. 
 
 " Oh, Carol, close it, close it ! " cried Beth. 
 
 Carol sprang back to do as she was bid, but 
 the warning came too late. Out through the 
 open window flew Dickie. Don was intent on 
 following, but Carol slammed the window shut 
 just in time to save him. 
 
 Beth sank down on the floor in a heap, and 
 broke into a storm of sobs. " Oh, my Dickie 
 bird. I'll never see him again. Oh, dear, oh, 
 dear ! " 
 
 Carol looked completely crushed. ]N"ever had 
 she been more scared. 
 
 u Yer'll never like me no more," she moaned, 
 " no more at all." 
 
 Beth did not even heed, being too grieved to 
 think of anything but her own loss. 
 
 A flood of melody, very faint because of the 
 closed windows, attracted Carol's attention. 
 Without a word, she managed to drive Don into 
 his cage, then went toward the window. 
 
 " What are you going to do ? " questioned 
 Beth through her sobs. 
 
 "I'm goin' after yer bird." 
 
 " It's no use. You can't catch him. I'll never 
 see him again." 
 
 Nevertheless, Carol rushed from the room. 
 Beth arose and walked listlessly out on the piazza. 
 
174 -^ Mdid of the Mountains 
 
 High up in one of the pines was Dickie sing- 
 ing, ohj so joyously. Carol intended to climb up 
 after the bird, but he caught a glimpse of his pur- 
 suer and flew on to the next tree. Carol chased 
 after. Dickie swooped down on a rhododendron 
 bush, and looked back as much as to say : 
 
 " Come on, little girl. It's fun to have you 
 chase me." 
 
 Breathlessly, she accepted the challenge, and 
 Dickie allowed her to come within reaching 
 distance. Her heart was in tumult at thought 
 of capturing the bird, and cautiously she stretched 
 out her hand. In fact it just grazed the out- 
 stretched wings, and then with a chirrup Dickie 
 was off again. On and on he led her, often 
 allowing her to come so near that escape seemed 
 improbable, but ever the bird just eluded her 
 outstretched fingers. 
 
 Meanwhile, Beth brought Don out and hung 
 his cage in Dickie's place. 
 
 " If one had to go, why couldn't it have been 
 the silent one," she wondered, and tears still 
 trembled on her lashes. 
 
 The robin looked around as if seeking the 
 mocking-bird, but the rival songster was far 
 away by this time, and no warbling greeted Don 
 as usual. Suddenly he drew his little body to 
 full size and his throat swelled. Low and sweet 
 he broke forth into song. At first his notes 
 trembled on the air as if he feared to be 
 
Don 175 
 
 silenced, but when he found that no master's 
 song was to drown his effort, he gained courage. 
 His notes deepened and flowed forth with as 
 much sweetness, with almost as great certainty, 
 with almost as much triumph as had Dickie's 
 own. Many of his runs and trills were copied 
 from his rival. 
 
 Beth almost felt as if her mocking-bird had 
 returned. She stood breathless for fear the 
 robin would become silent again. 
 
 " Oh, if Carol could only hear," she thought. 
 " It's as she said. Don was afraid to sing until 
 now, but he has been taking lessons from my 
 bird. I do wish she would come back. She'll 
 never be able to catch Dickie. She thinks I 
 blame her, but she didn't mean to let him go." 
 
 All morning she watched for Carol. Never- 
 theless, her hitherto unfailing visitor did not 
 return. In the afternoon, too, she waited on the 
 porch, only to be disappointed when nightfall 
 drove her into the house, and she had seen 
 nothing of the mountain girl. 
 
 Before the curtains were drawn, Beth stood 
 by her window a moment and looked longingly 
 down toward the hollow. 
 
 If her eyes could have pierced the twilight, 
 she would have seen a dejected little figure 
 dragging her weary feet homeward. All day 
 Carol had kept up the pursuit, and only at dusk 
 did she acknowledge herself defeated. Near her 
 
ly^ A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 cabin home, she sank down on a stone, with 
 faithful Brune still beside her. 
 
 " Brune," she murmured brokenly, " ye're 
 the only one who loves me." 
 
 He licked her hand to comfort her if he could. 
 Carol was too tired and too dejected to feel 
 intensely. Her eyes burned, but the tears in 
 them were dried up. 
 
 " Hit's no use, Brune," she continued. " I 
 love her, an' would do anythin' fer her, an' I've 
 hurt her dreadful. The only thing fer us to do 
 is to keep 'way," She rose as if there was no 
 more that could be said on the subject. Then 
 her eyes were attracted by the lamps that were 
 being lighted in the house on the hill. Even 
 through the trees, she caught a glimpse of Beth 
 at the window, and the numb feeling that 
 checked her tears gave way. 
 
 "Oh, Brune thar she air," she sobbed, "an' 
 she'll never like me no more nohow. Even 
 when our money comes, I cain't be like her no- 
 ways. Hit hain't in me er I wouldn't hurt her 
 dreadful when I loves her so. She never hurts 
 me, an' she don't love me like I love her. She 
 loved Dickie more 'n she ever did me. We must 
 keep 'way, Brune." 
 
 Watching until Beth pulled down the shade, 
 Carol threw herself face downward on the 
 ground feeling as if she was being barred from 
 Paradise, and there she lay crying hopelessly. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 An Angel of Merc^ 
 
 " Let's make candy," suggested Marian one 
 afternoon when she and Julia were sitting on the 
 porch. 
 
 " All right," answered Julia enthusiastically. 
 Thereupon both girls proceeded to the kitchen 
 where they spent a busy but happy hour 
 in the mysteries of candy-making. Bob, a 
 friend of Gustus had just arrived in search of 
 Gustus and while the girls were letting the 
 candy harden on the floor of the kitchen shed, 
 Gustus burst in. 
 
 " Miss Marian, Missy Beth wants yo' up in 
 her room. A package done come from Spartan- 
 burg," announced Gustus from the kitchen door. 
 
 Marian and Julia both sprang up. 
 
 " It's the doll," they cried, forgetting the candy 
 and rushing away up-stairs. 
 
 Gustus and Bob both eyed the candy greedily. 
 The girls had cut it in squares, but had not taken 
 any out 
 
 " Yo' don't specs any, do yo', yo' sassy nigger 
 yo' ? " demanded Gustus fiercely of Bob. *' I'll 
 
i8o A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 jes' take it up-stairs, an' mebbe dey'll thinks 
 yo' guv me some.'' 
 
 Up from the floor be grabbed the two plat- 
 ters carrying them up to Beth's room. 
 
 She had just taken a beautiful doll from an 
 express box. 
 
 " Do you think Carol will care for it ? " she 
 asked, wistfully, holding out the doll for inspec- 
 tion. 
 
 " Like it ? " repeated Marian. " Why, she'll 
 be too overcome for anything. It's the prettiest 
 doll I ever saw." 
 
 While pleased, Beth was still heavy-hearted. 
 
 " She hasn't been here since Dickie flew away, 
 and no one knows how much I miss her," she 
 thought. 
 
 Aloud she said : " I'd like to dress the doll for 
 her." 
 
 " I'll help," promised Marian, impulsively. 
 
 " So will I," added Julia. 
 
 " You're awfully good, both of you, and I'd 
 like help cutting the things out, but I'd rather 
 make them all by myself." 
 
 Gustus considered it high time that they were 
 noticing him. 
 
 " If it hadn't been fur me, de dogs could have 
 eaten all dis candy." 
 
 ^' I'd forgotten all about it," cried Marian, and 
 observing his hungry look added, " You shall 
 have some candy, Gustus." 
 
>' T ■.^™' 
 
 Let's Make Candy " 
 
An Angel of Mercy 181 
 
 Materials for the doll's garments were hunted 
 up, and soon were cut out. As Mrs. Davenport 
 would not allow Beth to work too steadily, the 
 doll was not ready for a week. 
 
 " How am I to get it to her ? " asked Beth. 
 
 " Send Gustus down." 
 
 Beth's face fell. " I want to give it to her 
 myself." 
 
 So they decided to have Gustus ask Carol to 
 come up. 
 
 " Gustus," Beth said when he was ready to 
 start on the errand, " don't say a word about the 
 present." 
 
 " Bo 'deed. Missy Beth. Yo' ought to keep 
 dat fine lady doll yo' own self." He was some- 
 what inclined to be jealous of Carol. 
 
 " And Gustus, tell her that I don't mind much 
 about Dickie now. I know he's enjoying his 
 freedom. Every once in a while I hear him sing- 
 ing in the woods." 
 
 Gustus nodded his head. " Dat's so. Missy 
 Beth. I hears him too. Shall I tell her 'bout 
 Don ? " 
 
 " Yes. Tell her he sings almost as well as 
 Dickie did. That will bring her sure. Hurry 
 back, Gustus." 
 
 While he was gone she thought of Carol, and 
 it came to her that perhaps it was more than the 
 loss of the bird that was keeping her friend 
 away. 
 
i82 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " Maybe their money has come, and she's wait- 
 ing to surprise me," she thought. " She told me 
 that some day she'd come up here dressed so fine 
 I wouldn't know her. If she has all the money 
 she says, she may get proud, but I don't believe 
 it of Carol, and she'll like the doll even if she 
 has money." 
 
 Her heart sank when she noted Gustus return- 
 ing alone. 
 
 " Where's Carol ? " she demanded eagerly 
 when he was in hailing distance. 
 
 " Dunno," he answered stupidly. " She didn't 
 say much. De doctor was thar." 
 
 Beth looked startled. " She's not sick ? " 
 
 " Not as I knowed on, 'though she looked 
 peaked like, an' acted powerful queer. Wouldn't 
 tell me nothin' nohow." 
 
 " Wouldn't she come even when you told her 
 I wanted her ? " repeated Beth more grieved 
 than she would show. 
 
 " Said she moight hav' to come some day. 
 Dem war her own words." 
 
 Pride kept Beth from sending again. Never- 
 theless, when two more days passed without any 
 sign of Carol, Beth was not only mystified but 
 resolved to go down herself as soon as her 
 mother would permit. 
 
 " I'll ask if I can't go to-day," she thought on 
 the third morning as the riders departed. 
 
 At the same moment Carol sneaked up on the 
 
An Angel of Merc^ 183 
 
 steps, and dropped down on the topmost one 
 against the post. She would not face Beth, but 
 in a fleeting glimpse that Beth caught, Carol 
 looked older and seemed unhappy. 
 
 " Hit's come," she announced. 
 
 Beth noted that she wore the same old clothes, 
 and that she did not appear triumphant. In fact 
 her whole attitude expressed dejection as well as 
 her voice, notwithstanding which her words con- 
 veyed only one possible meaning to Beth. 
 
 ^' What's come ? Your money ? " she de- 
 manded eagerly. 
 
 Carol shook her head sadly, without a word. 
 
 Beth could not imagine why Carol acted the 
 way she did unless she was still brooding over 
 Dickie. 
 
 " Anyway, she's sad over something, but the 
 doll will make her glad," she thought and so she 
 brought it out. 
 
 " Isn't this a pretty doll, Carol ? " she asked. 
 " I dressed her aU myself." 
 
 Still Carol appeared no less listless. She only 
 gave a fleeting glance at the doll nodding her 
 head. 
 
 " Do you like it ? " demanded Beth eagerly, 
 thinking that she was overcome with the gran- 
 deur of the fine iady. 
 
 " Hit am rale peart-like," but she said it with so 
 little enthusiasm that Beth grew impatient. 
 
 " I think you might say something nice about 
 
184 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 it after I've had so much trouble dressing it. 
 Wouldn't you like to own this doll for your very 
 own?" 
 
 Much to Beth's surprise and disgust, Carol 
 shook her head. 
 
 " You wouldn't like to own it ? Why not ? " 
 
 " Hit's only for fine ladies like yer," she mut- 
 tered. 
 
 At first Beth was inclined to be angry, but 
 Carol's manner was so puzzling that she resolved 
 to fathom the mystery. 
 
 " You've always told me that you are to be a 
 fine lady." 
 
 All at once Carol's stolidity gave way, and she 
 broke into a passion of sobs. Beth hurried to 
 her side. 
 
 '•'• Why, Carol, what's happened ? " 
 
 But feelinff so overmastered Carol that she 
 could not answer. Her breath came in gasps, 
 while tears splashed down her face so fast that 
 she could not keep them wiped away though she 
 tried. 
 
 " Hush, hush, dear. If you tell me, it may 
 help you," continued Beth, trying to comfort her 
 the way her own mother comforted. 
 
 " I hain't never to be no lady," Carol finally 
 blurted out. " We uns hain't to have no money, 
 an' we hain't none at all. Paw hain't been home 
 fer a week. When he hearn the news hit done 
 druv him to drink worser than ever, an' maw's sick. 
 
An Angel of Merc^ 185 
 
 awful sick, an' we've got a three days old little 
 babby gal at our place. We hain't no food, an' 
 no one'll trust us now that we're not to have 
 money. I cum to see if yer maw '11 let me do 
 washin' for you alls." 
 
 Such a flood of misfortune overcame Beth. 
 For a moment she could think of no comfort to 
 offer. She simply stared helplessly at Carol 
 while her heart sank more and more. The idea 
 of such a young girl doing washing was both 
 ridiculous and pathetic. 
 
 As Beth looked from the poorly clad girl to the 
 finely dressed doll that she still held, she re- 
 pented having spent her money on a useless gift. 
 Kever before had she realized that Carol could 
 ever be in actual want for the bare necessities of 
 life. Her silence made Carol more miserable. 
 
 " I wouldn't have cum to yer, if they all hadn't 
 been so hungry to hum. Do yer reckon 3"er 
 maw '11 let me do yer washin' ? " she repeated. 
 
 " You never could do it. You're too little," 
 Beth murmured. 
 
 An utterly hopeless look settled on Carol's face. 
 She did not shed more tears as Beth fully ex- 
 pected, but only brushed away the undried ones 
 on her woe-begone face, and arose to go. 
 
 " Wall, I must be goin'.'* 
 
 Beth pushed her down again almost roughly. 
 " Don't you dare go, Carol. Wait here, and I'll 
 be back in no time." 
 
i86 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 If the house had been on fire, she could have 
 flown no faster for aid. She dropped the doll on 
 a chair and rushed on toward the kitchen. Her 
 mother was not home, so she sought her faithful 
 mammy. 
 
 " Maggie ! Maggie ! " she called. 
 
 " What yo' want, honey ? " demanded Maggie 
 from the kitchen. 
 
 " Come here, Maggie — in the library ! I want 
 you immediately ! " and when her mammy re- 
 sponded to the imperative call, Beth added breath- 
 lessly, " You know where my bank is and I want 
 it right away." 
 
 " But honey " 
 
 Beth's eyes snapped. She was in such a hurry 
 that she had little patience. "Don't stop to 
 question me, Maggie. The money's my very own, 
 and I shall do just what I like with it, so get it 
 for me, there's a dear, good Maggie." 
 
 Greatly wondering, Maggie hunted up the 
 bank as commanded. 
 
 " There's a dollar and a half in it," said Beth 
 seizing the bank. "I had papa count it the 
 other night after I paid for the doll. I want to 
 get every cent out," and she struggled to open 
 it. " I wish papa were here. He's always 
 opened it, and I don't know how it's worked. 
 What shall I do, Maggie ? " 
 
 " Wait 'til yo' paw comes back." 
 
 Beth stamped her foot. "I can't wait. I 
 
An Anget of Mercy 187 
 
 must have some money this very minute. Can 
 you lend me some, Maggie? I'll pay you the 
 minute papa comes." 
 
 " I'se mighty sorry, precious lamb, but I done 
 giv' my last cent to yo' paw to put in de bank 
 for me. I 'lowed as I had no use to spend it up 
 disaways." 
 
 Beth struofo^led a moment more over the bank 
 and then gave up in despair. She felt ready to 
 cry. ^'I must do something. She said they 
 were hungry. What shall I do ? " she thought. 
 
 All at once, she swooped down on Maggie and 
 held her as if fearing she might vanish. 
 
 " We have things charged at the store, don't 
 we, Maggie ? " 
 
 " Shure, honey." 
 
 Beth's eyes sparkled more than ever. " I want 
 Gustus to go over to the store for me. Do hunt 
 him up for me ; there's a dear, dear mammy." 
 When Beth used such a tone, Maggie had never 
 been known to resist her. 
 
 " Hump, she's up to somethin' mighty queer," 
 muttered Maggie as she went in search of Gustus. 
 " Don't reckon I should be a — a partciple to her 
 
 spendin' her money, but " she finished her 
 
 soliloquy by shaking her head. She was thinking 
 that Beth was not easily stopped when in her 
 present mood. 
 
 Hardly was the door closed behind Maggie be- 
 fore Beth went over to the desk, and, taking up 
 
i88 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 a pencil and paper, sat down to figure out just 
 what to send for. 
 
 In her excitement she began gnawing the 
 pencil. " Let me see, they always like hominy — 
 they call it grits," and she wrote on her paper : 
 
 Grits, - - - - .25 
 
 Again the pencil was raised to her mouth, and 
 her forehead was puckered in thought. Never 
 had she solved a more difficult problem. After a 
 moment or two of thought, she dashed off the 
 following list : 
 
 Cornmeal, - - - .25 
 
 Tea, _ - - _ .25 
 
 Sugar, - - - - .15 
 
 Bacon, - ~ - - .25 
 
 Butter, - - - - .20 
 
 Bread, - - - - .10 
 
 Coffee, - ~ - - .20 
 
 Potatoes,- - - - .20 
 
 Then she drew a line underneath and figured 
 up, but, to her dismay she had overspent her 
 amount. The poor pencil again was an outlet for 
 her overwrought feelings. 
 
 " I only have a dollar and a half, I know," she 
 thought, biting viciously on the pencil, " and it 
 comes to a dollar eighty five. Oh, why did I buy 
 that doll? I might spend more than I have 
 though, for I could make it up to papa some time. 
 I'm sure to be given more money, and he wouldn't 
 mind. He'd give me the money himself." 
 
An Angel of Mercp 189 
 
 " Gustus, Gustus, do hurry," she called, hearing 
 him with Maggie. 
 
 " Pm comin', Missy Beth." 
 
 She hesitatingly held out the list to Gustus as 
 he entered, but then drew it back, shaking her 
 head solemnly. 
 
 " I can't do it much as I want them to have the 
 things," she declared to herself. " It wouldn't be 
 honorable. I'm not sure of prices anyway, but 
 Maggie can help me out." 
 
 Before consultino: Mao:o:ie, however, she walked 
 to the door to make sure that Carol was waiting. 
 She saw her still sitting dejectedly by the 
 post. 
 
 " Carol, I'll be out in a moment. Wait for 
 me," she called. 
 
 "Brune an' me'll wait," answered Carol still 
 dispirited. 
 
 Beth turned back to Maggie who had returned 
 even more slowly than Gustus. 
 
 "Maggie, listen to what I'm going to buy 
 and tell me what I can leave out so it will only 
 come to a dollar and a half," and before Maggie 
 had chance to utter a word, Beth ran over her 
 list. " You see it comes to a dollar eighty five, 
 and I only have a dollar and a half," she wound 
 up breathlessly. 
 
 Maggie was completely mystified. " Law 
 honey, we hav' all dem 'gredients in de 
 house " 
 
igo A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " Didn't I tell you ? They're for Carol's folks. 
 Her mother has a little baby, and they haven't a 
 thing to eat in the house." 
 
 "Hump," muttered Maggie who, notwithstand- 
 ing her kindly heart, had little patience with 
 " pooh white trash ." " Don't yo' let 'em fool yo', 
 missy dear. Dey's nothin' but " 
 
 " Hush, hush," cautioned Beth. " Carol's out 
 there, and she'll hear, and she's proud." 
 
 Her words inflamed Maggie more and more. 
 "Proud nothin'. What she come heyre for den 
 an' beg all my tender-hearted gal's money " 
 
 " She didn't beg. She wanted to do our wash- 
 ing, but she's too small. You think she's too 
 small, don't you, Maggie ? " 
 
 " Dat chile do our washin' ? " gasped Maggie 
 after an instant of silence. " She's workin' on 
 yo' feelin's, dat's all. She nebbeh 'lowed to do it. 
 Do washin' 'deed. I'm jes' goin' out to tell her 
 what I think of sech goings on." 
 
 Beth made a dive at her to hold her back. 
 "You mustn't, Maggie. I wouldn't have you 
 hurt her feelings for the world. If you knew all 
 about it the way I do, your heart would ache for 
 her too. We must help her. Why, just think, 
 she didn't even want the doll." 
 
 " Not want dat beau'f ul doll," repeated Maggie, 
 incredulously. 
 
 " No, she said it was too fine for her." 
 
 Such action upset Maggie's preconceived idea 
 
An Angel of Mercy 191 
 
 of Carol's duplicity. Half mollified, she patted 
 Beth on the shoulder. 
 
 '* Well, well, dat's monstrous queeh. Well I 
 nebbeh — but yo' jes' wait den, till Miss Mary 
 comes back. She " 
 
 " I can't wait, Maggie. You must tell me 
 what to leave out. Listen very carefully while I 
 read the list over." 
 
 Maggie, who was not yet entirely won over, 
 kept muttering while Beth read, " Well I 'clah to 
 goodness, dat chile do beat all. I always knovved 
 she was soft-hearted, but I didn't know she could 
 think out a thin' like that all by hehself." 
 
 Nevertheless she paid good heed to Beth's list 
 and at the end, she said : 
 
 " I done know one thin' to leave out. If dese 
 pooh whites hav' grits, dey don't care for pota- 
 toes." 
 
 Beth scratched out that item. After a mo- 
 ment's figuring, she said : 
 
 " I've fifteen cents too much yet. Please help 
 me, Maggie." 
 
 '' Hump," ejaculated Maggie again, but added, 
 " Well, well, read dem thin's over, honey." 
 
 " Wait," she interrupted when Beth came to 
 the sugar. " I done tole yo' what we'll do. 
 Scratch dat out, an' I'll giv' yo' some sugar." 
 
 Beth was pleased but doubtful. " Mamma 
 would give it to me if she were here, but I don't 
 know as we should take it with her away." 
 
192 A Maid of the Mountains v 
 
 " I'll 'sume all 'sponsibility," declared Maggie 
 with dignity. 
 
 Whereupon Beth handed to Gustus the list 
 with the sugar scratched out. " Have them fill 
 it out at the store and charge it. I'm going to 
 give papa my money. You bring the things 
 down to Carol's yourself, and hurry just as fast 
 as you can. I'll be waiting there for you." 
 
 Maggie, who had started to go for the sugar, 
 paused on the threshold and turned a still 
 troubled countenance Beth's way. 
 
 " 'Deed, honey, an' yo' ain't exspeculatin' to go 
 down thar yo'self ? I jes' shouldn't count'nance 
 sech proceedin's. It ain't fittin', an' what's moah 
 it am a long ways for yo' to go. Yo' ain't 
 walked much an' I done feared yo' " 
 
 Beth had skipped back beside Maggie and now 
 patted her lovingly. 
 
 " Maggie, I must go and it will not hurt me in 
 the least, so please don't say another word ; 
 there's my own dear, good, kind Maggie." 
 
 " Hump, I ain't no dear, good, kind nuthin'," 
 she muttered in return, but Beth had gained her 
 own way, for Maggie flounced out of the room 
 without farther protest. Beth hastened out on 
 the piazza. 
 
 " Come on, Carol, I'm going down to see the 
 baby." 
 
 Carol made no moA^e to rise. She did not even 
 look up at Beth and tears were trickling down 
 
An Angel of Mercy 193 
 
 her cheeks. She tried to brush them away with- 
 out Beth's noticing them but was not successful. 
 
 "We must hurry," declared Beth, impatient 
 of more delay. 
 
 " Don't yer come," cried Carol after a moment's 
 hesitation. " Yer'd never hav' nothin' to do 
 with me agin. Hit's no place for the likes of 
 you uns," and her tears fell faster. 
 
 "I'm your friend, Carol, and I want to go 
 down with you," whispered Beth, consolingly. 
 
 Still Carol did not rise, but, hiding her face in 
 her hands, sobbed, "I'm 'shamed of the dirt. 
 The others are too young to work, an' hit takes 
 all my time to care fer the baby an' maw. Hit's 
 powerful dirty. I didn't think much 'bout hit 
 'til I met you uns. You mustn't go thar." 
 
 " I am going down, so that's all there is about 
 it." 
 
 Such persistence conquered Carol who, without 
 a word, arose. Maggie now returned with the 
 sugar whereupon the two girls started down the 
 hill, Brune leading the way. So absorbed was 
 the mountain girl in her own troubles that she 
 forgot that Beth might still be weak from her 
 sickness, and so she walked at such a rapid pace 
 that Beth lost breath trying to keep up with her. 
 
 " Carol, I can't go so fast," she panted finally. 
 
 All contrition, Carol stopped still. "I never 
 onct thought as how yer hadn't walked much. 
 Sit down and rest." 
 
194 -^ Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Beth shook her head. " I'll be all right if we 
 walk slower, but now I'm wobbly all over." 
 
 " Yer jes' lean on me. Yes, yer must." 
 
 Her aid proved very acceptable for Beth was 
 weaker than she thought. At the spring her 
 strength gave out completely so that she sank 
 down on a rock to rest. Carol was greatly con- 
 cerned. She gathered some of the clear, running, 
 ice cold water in her rough hands and bathed 
 Beth's forehead. 
 
 " That is very nice," murmured Beth. " I'd 
 like a drink of it." 
 
 " Thar's nothin' but a gourd to drink from." 
 
 Assured that Beth liked a gourd, Carol leaned 
 over the spring to get her a drink. Beth watched 
 with much interest. Her breath had returned 
 and with it her strength. 
 
 " Why didn't you tell me how beautiful it is 
 down here, Carol ? " 
 
 Still kneeling, Carol turned a surprised face 
 her way. " I never knowed hit war beautiful. 
 Thar's jes' these wild things growin' all 'round 
 like they do every whar, an' the water jes' flows 
 out through the rock onto some more rock. I 
 always liked hit an' hit makes me feel like singin' 
 lots of times 'cause hit's so happy — the stream 
 thar I mean, but I never 'lowed as how other 
 people like you uns would care for it," she added 
 as she brought the water for Beth to drink. 
 
 Greatly refreshed, Beth arose ready to go for- 
 
An Angel of Merc^ 195 
 
 ward. She knew that her strength would last 
 out now, as Carol had said they were most there. 
 
 Through the trees she saw a cleared space, 
 but the only sign of a habitation was a tumble- 
 down log hut. At first Beth thought it too 
 wretched a hovel to be the dwelling-place of any 
 human being, and then she noted a number of 
 children near the open doorway. 
 
 ^* Are they neighbors of yours ? " she asked 
 politely. 
 
 Carol hung her head. " That's whar we uns 
 live," she muttered. 
 
 " You live there ? " repeated Beth. She was 
 so shocked that even with all her desire not to 
 hurt Carol, she could not help showing somewhat 
 how she felt. 
 
 " I tole yer not to come," said Carol, half sob- 
 bing. 
 
 "Don't cry, Carol. I'm glad I came. Let's 
 hurry," she added in hopes of diverting Carol, 
 which she succeeded in doing, for Carol sprang 
 forward to assist Beth and the two made their 
 way to the cabin. 
 
 The children stared open-mouthed at the 
 stranger with their sister. The youngest child, 
 still holding a lump of something that she had 
 taken from her mouth, sidled up to Beth and 
 lisped, " I'se so hungry." 
 
 Beth could not take her eyes from the lump in 
 the child's hand. 
 
196 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 "Carol, what's she been eating?" she asked. 
 
 " Clay," answered Carol laconically. 
 
 " Clay ? " gasped Beth. She had heard of 
 clay eaters in the mountains, but had never be- 
 lieved that people really ate clay until she saw 
 with her own eyes the child eating it. "Oh, 
 Carol, it's dreadful." 
 
 " I reckon hit am," she agreed. "I never ate 
 hit. Hit makes people all dried up. They jes' 
 hain't any blood at all. She never eat hit nother 
 'til now, but I can't stop her. The others are 
 takin' to hit, too. They hain't quite so hungry 
 when they eat hit." 
 
 Tears came into Beth's eyes. " I wish Gustus 
 would come," she thought. Then she kneeled 
 down beside the little toddler. " Give it to me," 
 she demanded, holding out her hand to take the 
 clay, " and you shall have something to eat in a 
 moment or two — something nice." She turned 
 to the others who were still staring at her. 
 " Never eat any more clay, and I'll see that you 
 have plenty to eat all the time," she promised 
 recklessly. 
 
 They were all so overawed by her appearance 
 and words that they only continued to stare. 
 The little toddler, however, understood her 
 meaning sufficiently to relinquish the clay. 
 
 " Me have somethin' nice to eat. Pretty girl 
 say so," she murmured. 
 
An Angel of Merc^ 1 97 
 
 " Hit hain't become a habit with urn yet like 
 with some," explained Carol. "I reckon they 
 won't eat no more if they have food." 
 
 Beth felt sick all over. She dreaded to go in- 
 side the cabin, but would not turn back. 
 
 " Had I better see the baby now ? " 
 
 *'Maw, here's the young lady from up on the 
 hill to see yer," called Carol. 
 
 *' Come right in," answered a feeble voice from 
 within. 
 
 " Yer all wait here," said Carol to the children, 
 and then she led Beth within. 
 
 Apparently there was but one room to the 
 shanty. As Beth glanced around the disordered 
 place, she vaguely wondered where all those 
 children outside slept. Plenty of dirt was in 
 evidence as Carol had predicted, but Beth hardly 
 noted it. Her eyes were immediately attracted 
 to a dilapidated bed in the corner on which lay a 
 woman old with care more than with years. In 
 her weary thin arms was a puny baby which 
 whimpered fretfully. The woman's eyes were 
 unnaturally large but sunken. A new light 
 leaped into them as their gaze fastened in wistful 
 earnestness on Beth's face. 
 
 " Did Carol tell yer all 'bout us ? " she cried 
 eagerly raising herself on her elbow. The baby's 
 whimper changed to a cry, and the light faded 
 from the mother's eyes. 
 
igS A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " Hit's awful hungry," she explained, " but I 
 can't give hit any thin' myself and we hain't any 
 milk in the house." 
 
 Beth's heart sank because she had ordered no 
 milk. 
 
 *' Carol," she whispered after a moment's 
 hesitation, " go up to the house and get a pitcher 
 of milk. Tell Maggie I sent for it." 
 
 Her least wish was a command to Carol who 
 hastened to fulfill her order. 
 
 With Carol gone, Beth felt more uncomfort- 
 able than ever. She sat down on a rickety chair 
 not knowing what to say or do. The mother 
 would have talked to her had not her babe 
 claimed her entire attention. It quieted from a 
 cry to a moan, but this proved so pitiful that Beth 
 finally could stand it no longer. 
 
 " Shall I walk up and down with it ? " she 
 asked timidly, rising and going over to the bed. 
 
 "That would be powerful kind," answered 
 Mrs. Corn well completely worn out herself. 
 
 Nice, clean babies were the only kind Beth 
 had ever known and she thought she loved all 
 babies. But this one was not clean ; in fact it 
 was repellently dirty. As the mother held it 
 out toward her, she shrank back slightly, almost 
 ready to withdraw her offer, but she was entirely 
 too kind-hearted to intentionally hurt any one, 
 so, overcoming her momentary weakness, she took 
 the poor, little moaning waif to her heart. Back 
 
An Angel of Mercy 199 
 
 and forth, back and forth, she walked, humming 
 a lullaby. She was not much of a singer, but 
 her charge soon quieted under such soothing 
 care. 
 
 " I think she's asleep," she whispered, stopping 
 by the bed for her arms ached and she was faint. 
 
 *' I'll take her," but when Beth started to place 
 the baby beside its mother, it began to whimper 
 again. 
 
 "Perhaps I'd better keep her. I'll bring a 
 chair over beside you, and perhaps I can keep 
 her quiet sitting down." 
 
 The plan worked well for Beth patted the 
 baby as it lay on her lap and soon it quieted 
 again. 
 
 "We've brought a sight of trouble on our- 
 selves," said the sick woman speaking to Beth as 
 she might have to a grown person, and then ex- 
 plained, " I had a better eddication than I've 
 been able to give any of my young uns, an' when 
 we 'lowed as how we were to have money, their 
 paw an' I reckoned as how hit would make ladies 
 an' gentlemen of 'era. We didn't 'low 'em to 
 'sociate with any one here'bouts, an' now we're 
 bein' paid back for bein' so proud-like. None of 
 'em cum to help now that we need help," and she 
 sighed pitifully. 
 
 No word of comfort suggested itself to Beth. 
 She felt very helpless, but had she only known 
 how soothed the poor, burdened woman was just 
 
200 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 to speak of her trouble, Beth would have been 
 relieved, too. 
 
 " God alone knows what's to become of we 
 uns," continued Mrs. Cornwell fretfully. " I'm 
 'bout tuckered out, an' Carol " — her voice broke, 
 " I hates to think on her. Onct she an' I 'lowed 
 as how she wuz to be a singer. I usen to sing at 
 meetin' myself when I wuz a gal in Al'bama, an' 
 Carol has my voice only sweeter an' stronger 
 like." 
 
 " Perhaps Carol can sing then," thought Beth, 
 but the baby began to cry again so that poor 
 worried Beth had to walk the floor once more. 
 With all her heart she wished that Gustus and 
 Carol would come. The waiting seemed an eter- 
 nity to her. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 Beth' s Plan 
 
 " Whar's my Missy Beth ? " were the words 
 that finally brought comfort to the self-con- 
 stituted little nurse who placed the now sleeping 
 child beside its mother. 
 
 "Come right in, Gustus," she called. "Put 
 the things over there," she added as he came in, 
 pointing to a table in the corner of the room near 
 the fireplace. 
 
 " Whew," ejaculated Gustus as he deposited 
 his load. " I done reckon dey put in stones wid 
 dese things. My arms shurely ache." 
 
 Beth looked around the place for a cook-stove 
 but failed to discover one. 
 
 " Where do you do your cooking ? " she asked 
 of Mrs. Corn well. 
 
 " On the open fire thar. Yer kin have the boy 
 call to one of the young uns to bring in some 
 logs an' start a fire, an' by the time Carol's 
 back hit'll be goin'." She accepted the present 
 of food as a matter of course, but Beth did not 
 mind, she was so pleased in the doing. 
 
 Soon the fire was blazing on the hearth, and 
 then Carol came and Beth was overjoyed to 
 behold Maggie come panting in behind her. 
 
204 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " Oh, Maggie, how good of you ! " she cried 
 and there was a catch in her voice from very 
 
 joy- 
 Maggie's face beamed too. " I jes' 'lowed as 
 
 how yo' might need me, honey. I done come 
 
 jes' on yo' 'count." She sniffed contemptuously. 
 
 She did not wish Beth to think she would bemean 
 
 herself by running after "pooh white trash." 
 
 '* 'Sides de milk, here am some eggs an' soup broth 
 
 dat'U be good for de sick woman." 
 
 Beth would have given the milk to the baby 
 cold, but Maggie knew better and warmed it. 
 
 One by one the children sneaked into the room, 
 the smell of food attracting them. Poor, starv- 
 ing things, they could not keep away although 
 Carol ordered them out several times. " Wait 'til 
 ve're called," she said. Beth who could not 
 stand the sight of their greedy eyes spread a 
 number of slices of bread with sugar sprinkled 
 over, and gave each child a piece, even to Carol 
 wlio was as famished as any of them. 
 
 " More, more," lisped the little toddler who had 
 thrown away the clay. She had devoured the 
 last crumb and was still starved. 
 
 Beth stooped over and kissed her unmindful of 
 dirt. 
 
 " You must wait, dearie. Maggie is cooking 
 something nice for you all." 
 
 " Girl hungry ? " questioned the little one 
 feeling a tear on her face that Beth had shed. 
 
Beth' s Flan 205 
 
 Meantime Maggie had heated the broth for the 
 sick woman, and had taken it to her. 
 
 " Hit'll give me strength so's I kin work fer 
 my young uns," she murmured gratefully to 
 Maggie. " An' the milk has chirked her up al- 
 ready. The baby'd have died if you alls hadn't 
 come." 
 
 Maggie felt a tear in her own eye. Her prej- 
 udices vanished as she worked for them, but she 
 bustled back to the fireplace to hide her emotion, 
 and stirred the kettle of grits that was now 
 steaming. When it was about ready she began 
 frying the bacon and its savory odor filled the 
 place, and the children clustered nearer and 
 nearer around the hearth. 
 
 Beth would have set the table but there was 
 no cloth to spread, and no dishes except a few 
 cracked ones, and then there were not nearly 
 enough chairs to go round, so all the children sat 
 on the floor each with a spoon, but eating out of 
 the one dish. 
 
 As Beth, with shining eyes, eyed the little 
 crowd, she marveled how they could eat so much. 
 They scraped the dish clean and not a piece of 
 the bacon did they leave, except for Carol who 
 saved a share of her helping for Brune. Beth 
 immediately resolved to send some dog meat to 
 the faithful fellow. 
 
 " Maggie,- ' whispered Beth when the rest of 
 the provisions had been placed away for future 
 
2o6 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 use, " couldn't we wash the baby ? She needs a 
 bath dreadfully." 
 
 By this time, Maggie was warmed up to any 
 undertaking. She placed water in the kettle to 
 heat and then turned to Carol. 
 
 " Has yo' a tub ? Missy Beth 'sires to wash 
 de baby an' she mus' be washed." 
 
 Carol was doubtful of such an undertaking, 
 but if Beth wished it, she thought it must be all 
 right, so she hunted up an old tub. 
 
 The children watched rounder eyed than ever 
 while the bath was being prepared as if they 
 thought the ceremony about to be performed 
 some heathen rite. 
 
 " Yer don't s'pose hit'll make her take cold ? " 
 questioned Mrs. Corn well, anxiously, as Beth her- 
 self undressed the baby. 
 
 " Cold nothin'," sniffed Maggie, running her 
 arm into the tub to make sure the temperature of 
 the water was just right. " When she's clean, 
 she'll be a dif'runt chile shure. Hand her to me 
 now," she added to Beth. 
 
 Beth would have liked to help with the bath, 
 but Maggie, who felt herself the high priestess of 
 the occasion, would have no aid. 
 
 " Go 'long, honey, yo' ain't strong 'nough fer 
 sech work," she declared, and all Beth could do 
 was to stand by and watch. However, she 
 managed to save the little toddler from a wetting 
 for it was so curious, it would have fallen into 
 
Beth' s Flan 207 
 
 the tub with the baby if Beth had not grabbed 
 
 it. 
 
 When the baby was finally raised from the 
 tub, it seemed a different child as Maggie had 
 predicted. It was so nice and clean that Beth 
 only regretted not having some new clothes for it. 
 
 " Dis room ought to be cleaned foh we go," 
 declared Maggie when once more the baby was 
 placed beside her mother. '* Yo' wait outside 
 while Carol an' me brushes up a bit," she said to 
 Beth. 
 
 " I'll do nothing of the sort," answered Beth 
 firmly. " I'm going to help," and though Maggie 
 objected, it was of no use. 
 
 "I ain't no words to thank yer," said Mrs. 
 Corn well when Beth and Maggie were ready to 
 depart. " But I've a favor to ask." 
 
 *' What is it ? " asked Beth, fearing she could 
 not grant it now that all her money was gone, 
 but she decided to ask her father for help. 
 
 " I thought some of callin' the little gal here, 
 Elvira 'cause hit's sech a romantic name, but now 
 I'd like to name her after yer, if yer don't mind. 
 What is yer name in full ? " 
 
 " Elizabeth Davenport." 
 
 " If yer don't mind, then, I'd call her 'Liz 'beth 
 Davenport Cornwell." 
 
 The idea of such a namesake completely over- 
 whelmed Beth who felt a new responsibility 
 about the child. 
 
2o8 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " Do you really wish to name her after me ? " 
 she asked. 
 
 " I do, an' yer'll surely come agin to-morrow 
 as yer promised to see 'Liz'beth an' me ?" 
 
 Outside Carol had something to say on the 
 subject. " At first I didn't want the baby," she 
 confessed. " I didn't see how we uns could care 
 f er hit when thar war so many of we uns already, 
 but then hit war so helpless, an' hit clung to me 
 so that I couldn't help takin' to hit some. An' 
 now that hit's to be called 'Liz' beth after yer, I'll 
 jes' dote on hit." 
 
 Beth was very weary. Even listening to Carol 
 tired her more. She clung to Maggie's hand and 
 looked up at the long hill that still had to be 
 climbed. Now that excitement no longer lent 
 her strength, the return trip home seemed a 
 terrible undertaking. 
 
 " Good-bye Carol, I'll be down to-morrow," she 
 promised listlessly. 
 
 " Look thar," exclaimed Carol. " Thar comes 
 the young gentleman." 
 
 Beth looking in the direction in which she 
 pointed saw Harvey on Bueur coming leisurely 
 toward them. 
 
 " Hello," he called. " I heard you were down 
 here, and thought I'd find out what you were 
 up to." 
 
 " I know what I'd like to be up to," thought 
 Beth, eyeing Rueur wistfully. 
 
Beth' s Plan 209 
 
 " "Why, Beth, you look completely "worn out," 
 remarked Harvey as he sprang down beside 
 them. " You must ride up the hill." 
 
 Her tired face flushed in sudden pleasure. 
 " Oh, how nice that will be. My very first ride 
 on my mule, too. But how can I ever get up on 
 his back ? " 
 
 " Shure, honey, dat's easy. I'll lift yo'. Yo' 
 weight'd be no more dan feathers to me," and 
 Maggie picked her up and placed her on Rueur. 
 
 " Good-bye, Carol," said Beth the second time, 
 but with enthusiasm now. She even waved her 
 disengaged hand as the mule started up the hill 
 with her. Harvey, Maggie and Gustus walked 
 beside her. 
 
 " What have you been doing ? " questioned 
 Harvey. Beth placed a finger on her lips, but 
 Maggie would not heed the warning. 
 
 " She's done been a little angel ob mercy, dat's 
 what she's been for shure." 
 
 " Oh, pshaw," murmured Beth. " Don't you 
 listen to her, Harve. I'll tell you all about it up 
 at the house. I only did what anybody would 
 have done." 
 
 " Anybody done," muttered Maggie. *' Law, 
 honey, dar's lots ob common trash in dis world." 
 
 "You're not of that kind, Maggie. I don't 
 know what I'd have done without you to-day." 
 Her eyes were slightly dim. 
 
 Maggie's face beamed, but she too muttered, 
 
210 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 "Oh, pshaw, honey. Don't yo' listen to her, 
 Massa Harve." 
 
 The rest of the way up the hill Beth was 
 planning for the family in the hollow. 
 
 " I might giv^e Carol a hen and a rooster and 
 some eggs for the hen to set on to raise chickens. 
 It'll look nice to see chickens about the place, and 
 we can send down and buy chickens and eggs 
 from them. In time they can make lots of 
 money that way." 
 
 At the house she called a council of war when 
 she found that all the family had returned. 
 After telling her afternoon's experience, she said: 
 
 " We've got to do something for them 'specially 
 after the baby's named for me. I thought of 
 something we might do and I want to know 
 what you think of my plan. How would it do 
 to get up a benefit for the family, and give them 
 the proceeds? I know the people up at the 
 hotels would come when they heard what the 
 entertainment was for. Then there'd be all the 
 town people besides." 
 
 " Let's have a circus," proposed Harvey. 
 
 A circus appealed to adventurous Beth. 
 "We'll teach the dogs to perform, and we can 
 ride Kueur and the horses." 
 
 " I'll not have any of you risking your necks 
 riding. You can teach the dogs tricks if you 
 wish," answered Mrs. Davenport. 
 
 Great were the schemes as to what should be 
 
Beth' s Flan 211 
 
 done. The most improbable things were sug- 
 gested, but out from the mass of ideas set forth, the 
 determination grew to give the entertainment. 
 Even Mr. and Mrs. Davenport approved the 
 plan. 
 
 " I wish we could have Carol take part," said 
 Beth. " It would seem then as if she were 
 helping herself. I think she's proud, and the idea 
 of charity hurts her." 
 
 " A good idea, Beth," answered Mr. Daven- 
 port. "I always believe in helping people to 
 help themselves." 
 
 ^' But what under the sun can Carol do ? " 
 questioned Marian. 
 
 " I'll think up something for her," announced 
 Beth. 
 
 The entertainment was uppermost in all their 
 thoughts for days thereafter. They planned to 
 have something that would be more unique than 
 the ordinary church affairs that were sometimes 
 given in the town. At first it was deemed 
 impossible to carry out Harvey's suggestion of 
 having the entertainment outdoors. 
 
 <' Why any one could come, and needn't pay if 
 they were dishonorable," declared Marian. 
 
 "Let's put them on their honor," cried Beth 
 who was always for trusting people. " I know 
 just the place where we could have it. There's 
 an open space all around Carol's cabin. Why not 
 have it down there right in sight of the people 
 
212 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 we're going to benefit ? Let's go down and have 
 a look at it. I've got to go down and see them 
 anyway." It was her habit now to make daily 
 visits, and many a basket of necessities had found 
 their way to the cabin through her, and she had 
 already started Carol in the chicken raising 
 business. 
 
 Down into the hollow the four hastened. The 
 place impressed them all as a fitting spot for 
 their show. The pines had been hewn down 
 leaving a clearing larger than they would need. 
 
 " The dogs can perform here all right," said 
 Harvey who had taken their training upon him- 
 self. 
 
 " It's a shame that mamma will not let us ride. 
 It would be grand to perform bareback the way 
 they do in the circus," and Beth sighed regret- 
 fully because her mother had remained firm in 
 barring riding from their plans. Mrs. Davenport 
 knew too well the adventurous spirit of the 
 children to allow anything so risky. 
 
 " What would we do for seats ? " asked Julia. 
 
 " They have benches in the church on the hill 
 back of us. Maybe we could borrow them," 
 suggested Marian. 
 
 " I'll ask for them," answered Beth, and that 
 very day she went to interview the minister on 
 the subject. 
 
 " You can take them if you have any way of 
 getting them there and back," he promised 
 
Beth' s Plan 213 
 
 after hearing the object for which they were to 
 be used. Whereupon Beth secured her father's 
 consent that on the morning of the eventful day, 
 Rueur be hitched to a wagon and that he would 
 have one of the men working for him haul the 
 seats. 
 
 " What will you do if it rains ? " questioned 
 her father. 
 
 Beth had not even taken into consideration 
 such a catastrophe. 
 
 " That would spoil everything, but we'll not 
 think for a moment that we could have such 
 awful luck," she added with her usual optimism. 
 
 The next question that came up was whether 
 they should have any outside help to amuse their 
 audience. 
 
 Mrs. Davenport settled the matter for them. 
 " If you are sufficient!}^ smart to think up amuse- 
 ment without grown-up people taking part, it 
 will prove more interesting," she said, " and 
 you'll make more money too, I believe." 
 
 ^' How much shall we ask ? " demanded 
 Beth. 
 
 '' Do not have any set price," she suggested. 
 " Let people give what they wish." This advice 
 was also accepted. 
 
 Harvey had the three dogs, Duke, Watch, who 
 had greatly improved with the kindness that was 
 showered upon him at the Davenports, and 
 Brune in training even before the children 
 
214 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 decided what parts they, themselves, would 
 attempt. Every morning he went down into the 
 hollow with them, and his most interested spec- 
 tator was Beth, who never failed to be with 
 him to note how well they were doing. 
 
 " I had no idea they could be taught so much. 
 I don't believe I'd ever have had the patience to 
 teach them. It takes heaps of patience," said 
 Beth one morning. 
 
 " Well I should just say it does," agreed Har- 
 vey, looking up from where he held the dogs in 
 leash awaiting their turn to jump from the plank 
 he had built for the purpose. The dogs were so 
 anxious to take the long distance leaps that they 
 barked and pulled on their chains, in real enjoy- 
 ment of their training. 
 
 " It's just wonderful the way they've improved 
 the short time you've had them in hand," con- 
 tinued Beth admiringly. " Watch is the best 
 jumper," she added, as the dog in question flew 
 up the plank and outdistanced Duke's last effort. 
 Beth was somewhat jealous for her pet. She 
 had gladly adopted Watch, but he could never 
 win the place in her affection that Duke held. 
 In fact Watch appreciated this and so he lavished 
 the most of his affection on Harvey. 
 
 " Watch is my star pupil," agreed Harvey. 
 
 Marian and Julia now joined them. 
 
 " It's worrying me what under the sun we, 
 ourselves, are to do," said Marian. 
 
Beth's Flan 215 
 
 " If I show off the dogs that's enough for me," 
 broke in Harvey. 
 
 " No it's not," answered the three girls at 
 once. 
 
 " It's easy enough to tell what you're to do," 
 said Beth. '* We need music, so you'll have to 
 send for your violin and play." 
 
 " I can play with him or alone on my guitar," 
 proposed Marian. " That will be an easy way 
 out for me." 
 
 " And I could dance if we only had a platform. 
 You know, Beth, I took fancy dancing lessons 
 last winter," announced Julia in her turn. 
 
 " I wish now I'd taken lessons," Beth mur- 
 mured. 
 
 " I told you you'd be sorry," retorted Julia. 
 " Can't we have a platform ? " 
 
 "We've got to manage one some way," an- 
 swered Harvey. 
 
 Beth looked disconsolate. "Carol and I are 
 the only uncertain ones. I suppose I can learn 
 some pieces to recite, and I might teach her some- 
 thing. I'll try anyway. I'll learn funny pieces — 
 people like to laugh. But what can Carol learn ? " 
 
 Gustus, who was with the children when- 
 ever he had the time, overheard what they were 
 planning. His eyes began to roll as they always 
 did when he was excited, and he hopped around 
 first on one foot and then on the other to attract 
 attention, but no one noticed his antics. 
 
2i6 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " I kin dance, too," he blurted out finally. 
 
 Beth was the first to catch his meaning. 
 "You'd like to take part, would you, Gustus? 
 And so you shall," she added in response to his 
 vigorous nod. " The Northerners, especially, will 
 like your dancing." 
 
 He was so delighted that he began showing 
 off his various steps to let his little mistress see 
 that she could rely on his proficiency. 
 
 Upon their return to the house, Beth hunted 
 up some recitation books and with her mother's 
 aid, selected several comic pieces hoping that 
 among them, she could choose something not 
 only for herself, but one for Carol also. Then 
 she hastened again to the hollow to impart her 
 design to Carol. 
 
 " Me recite ? " repeated Carol. " I can't." 
 
 Beth's enthusiasm was not to be so easily 
 quenched. "You must. I'll teach you. Sit 
 down here by me." And when Carol was on 
 the log beside her, she opened one of the books 
 to " The Elf Child." 
 
 "Now say after me, 'Little orphant Annie's 
 come to our house to stay.' " 
 
 " Has she ? Who's she ? " 
 
 " Why I'm reading it from the book. Don't 
 you see the words written here ? " 
 
 Carol hung her head. "I hain't been to 
 school much." 
 
 " Can't you read ? " 
 
Beth' s Plan 217 
 
 Carol had never felt her lack of knowledge as 
 she did at this moment. She twisted her dress 
 nervously, keeping her eyes lowered that Beth 
 might not see the tears that almost blinded her. 
 
 " Not a powerful sight like that thar," she 
 murmured. " I only tended school one term fer 
 we didn't have no school up in the mountains, 
 an' when we uns came down to Tremont, I got 
 'shamed 'cause I was put in with the little chil- 
 dren, but I'd have kept on only maw needed me 
 to hum." 
 
 " Carol, after the show, I'll have to teach you 
 some," promised Beth impulsively. " It's a shame 
 for you not to know more." 
 
 She paused a moment gaining courage to speak 
 of a matter about which she had been thinking 
 for some time. 
 
 " Carol, would you like me to correct you in 
 your talk, when you say things wrong ? " 
 
 Beth was surprised to see tears rise to her 
 friend's eyes. 
 
 " Why Carol, I just wished to help you. I 
 wouldn't hurt you for anything." 
 
 Carol tried to smile through the tears. " Hit's 
 not that. Hit's 'cause I'm so pleased like." 
 
 " And you really want me to help you ? " 
 
 " 'Deed I do if yer'U only do hit." 
 
 " Then you mustn't say ' hit.' Say it." 
 
 "It, it, it," murmured Carol. " I didn't know 
 *fore that I said hit — it dif'runt." Then she 
 
2 1 8 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 added, " I'd try most any thin' to please yer, but — 
 don't ask me to larn that thar piece to say at the 
 show. I hain't a bit of caliin' that away. Please, 
 please don't do hit — it." 
 
 Beth could not resist such pleading. Then, 
 too, she realized that Carol had no " calling " for 
 reciting. 
 
 " I'll try to think of something else for you to 
 do," she promised. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 The Dark Comer 
 
 The very name " Dark Corner " appealed to 
 Harvey. It bespoke mystery and adventure, 
 and, ever since he had first heard of it, he re- 
 solved to ride over that way, all alone. 
 
 So early one afternoon he asked Beth if he 
 might take Eueur to which she readily con- 
 sented. 
 
 "Beth, you're the only one IVe told where 
 I'm going," he said at parting. " It's better not 
 to let the girls know. They'd want to go too, 
 and it's not the place for girls," he added, feeling 
 the importance of his sex. Had he but known 
 the truth, the other sex was better tolerated in 
 the " Dark Corner " than his own. 
 
 Away he started riding toward the spot where 
 he had been told the " Dark Corner " lay over 
 under the shadow of Hogback. His pulses 
 thrilled. Actually he hoped to chance upon some 
 of the illegal distills about which he had heard 
 much. 
 
 At the end of two miles or so he was sur- 
 prised to come upon a gate right across the mid- 
 dle of the road. He hardly knew what to do, 
 but resolved to open the gate half expecting if 
 
222 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 he rode onward to come upon some house where 
 he intended to ask if he was intruding. 
 
 To open the gate without dismounting proved 
 a difficult matter. Every time that he reached 
 down to the latch, at that very instant Kueur 
 would grow restless and jerk away. Then the 
 same performance was repeated over and over 
 again until, at last, his efforts were rewarded. 
 
 Closing the gate after him, he galloped along 
 noticing that the land around him was uncultivated 
 and that there was not the least sign of a habita- 
 tion. Still he was dissatisfied, longing to travel 
 some mountain trail that bespoke even less civili- 
 zation. Onward he rode without seeing the 
 least sign of human life, and still desirous of some 
 unusual experience. 
 
 Uphill and downhill Rueur carried him while 
 the woods around were so wild that Harvey 
 finally had a sense of being entirely alone almost 
 in a primeval world. For a moment a feeling of 
 fear weighed upon his mind. 
 
 " Perhaps it would be better to go over some 
 way I know," he thought, but immediately the 
 love of adventure conquered fear. 
 
 As if to tempt him, to the right he beheld an 
 evidently disused road, deeply rutted ; unmistak- 
 ably washed by many a rain. Weeds, too, had 
 sprung into luxuriant growth almost hiding where 
 the road had been. 
 
 Without an instant's hesitation, Harvey headed 
 
The Dark Comer 223 
 
 Kueur to the right. Within a few moments he 
 came to a stream which he forded. Once across, 
 there was no more evidence of a road. 
 
 While Harvey waited, pondering what to do, 
 Kueur took the reins into his own keeping, and 
 turned to the left to nibble at the bushes. His 
 so doing decided Harvey's course of action. 
 Right beyond the bushes he beheld a trail, the 
 finding of which made his heart thump. Again 
 he indulged in no hesitation, but dug the spurs 
 into Rueur to follow the trail which proved suf- 
 ficiently wild to suit even Harvey. The branches 
 of the trees grew so low that he had to stoop not 
 to be swept from the saddle, while the bushes on 
 either side reached right across the path as if 
 warning him not to proceed. Still Harvey would 
 not turn back. 
 
 " I want something to tell Beth, and this cer- 
 tainly looks mysterious enough," he mused. 
 
 Suddenly he came to a hillside where the trail, 
 too, ceased. 
 
 " We'll go up the hill anyway," Harvey said 
 aloud to the mule, once more using the spurs. 
 
 With a plunge Rueur started upward, and it 
 was well that he got such a good start for the 
 earth was soft and stony while the climb proved 
 extremely steep. 
 
 Wilder and wilder grew the scenery. The still- 
 ness was oppressive. The sun, too, was beclouded 
 momentarily, which made the woods around and 
 
224 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 above dark and awe inspiring. Immense boulders 
 often blocked the way, so that Rueur had to 
 choose his footing most carefully. 
 
 Harvey leaned far forward in the saddle as if 
 to assist the mule upward. Now he had no 
 thought of turning backward as long as the mule 
 could possibly proceed. Harvey, some way, was 
 assured that an unusual experience awaited him 
 if he only persevered. 
 
 Nevertheless, he was startled when suddenly 
 he heard a murmur of voices ahead. 
 
 Stealthily to the ground he slipped. Fastening 
 Rueur, he stole through the bushes intent on see- 
 ing what was before him without being seen him- 
 self, but the undergrowth was so luxuriant that, 
 without warning, he almost fell down an em- 
 bankment, as he had not been looking for any 
 such precipitate descent. 
 
 Caution overcome now by fear of a fall, he 
 reached out wildly to save himself. "With ease 
 he caught hold of a tree, but in so doing some 
 dry twigs beneath his feet crackled. 
 
 At the same instant, almost directly below, a 
 sight confronted him that might well make his 
 heart beat. 
 
 Beside a stone still were two masked and armed 
 men, and one of them aimed directly at poor, 
 trembling Harvey. 
 
 " Don't shoot ! I— I'll never tell ! " yelled 
 Harvey. 
 
The Dark Comer 22 S 
 
 The men looked up surprised. They had not 
 even heard the crackling, and had no thought of 
 an intruder when aiming their pistols. 
 
 " What yer doin' thar, kid ? " called one of 
 them not threateningly, Harvey thought. 
 
 "I — I was just taking a ride. My mule is 
 back there." Whereupon Harvey made a move 
 to go. 
 
 " Have him come down," called a voice from 
 the underbrush to the side of the men. The 
 speaker was so well screened by the green that 
 Harvey could not even get a glimpse of him, but 
 he was evidently no mountaineer as Harvey knew 
 by his speech. This fact made Harvey a little 
 less fearful. 
 
 " Cum on down," called the men. 
 
 If they had not been armed, Harvey would 
 have risked running. 
 
 " I — I don't know how to get down." 
 
 "I'll show yer," and the nearest man ran 
 nimbly around the still to a path at the right. 
 
 " This way," he called cheerfully. 
 
 Harvey did not feel at all cheerful. The men 
 being armed and masked as they were had a 
 serious look to him, and even if the third man 
 was better educated, he might still be a cutthroat. 
 
 " I'd better put a brave face on anyway," he 
 resolved as he started toward the path. 
 
 The men below were talking in low tones. 
 
 "Deciding what they'll do with me," Harvey 
 
226 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 thought, trying his utmost to overhear what they 
 said, but without success. 
 
 Half-way down the path he beheld at the spot 
 where the third voice sounded something project- 
 ing through the bushes, and was vastly surprised 
 to discover that the object was a camera. 
 
 The situation was growing more and more puz- 
 zling every moment, but the discovery of the 
 camera lightened Harvey's fear so that he hur- 
 ried downward more willingly. 
 
 A gentlemanly appearing man came out from 
 the bushes and smilingly said : 
 
 " Well, my boy, I think I've just gotten a very 
 unusual picture, and that it will be good unless 
 the shade is too dense." 
 
 " Picture ? " repeated Harvey, hardly yet tak- 
 ing in the situation. 
 
 " Yes. Did you really think we were making 
 mountain dew ? " 
 
 " I — I was too scared to think much," stam- 
 mered Harvey, too relieved to be sure that he 
 was not being deceived. 
 
 " I knew of this deserted still and had these 
 men dress up for my benefit," explained the pho- 
 tographer. " If the picture turns out well, I'll 
 send you one. You deserve some reward for the 
 scare I've given you." 
 
 Harvey felt like himself once more. *' It will 
 be fine to have the picture. My, but things did 
 look black for me for awhile." 
 
The Dark Comer 227 
 
 He walked over to examine the still. The pho- 
 tographer accompanied him and explained how 
 it was worked. 
 
 " That man knows this business thoroughly," 
 said the photographer, presently glancing over 
 his shoulder toward the spring where the two 
 men were getting water. He indicated the one 
 farthest from him. " I imagine that he may have 
 made whisky himself once." 
 
 The men had by this time taken off their masks 
 and Harvey thought he must have seen the man 
 some place before, or else he reminded him of 
 some one. Harvey could not decide which. 
 
 '' What does he do now ? " he asked. 
 
 *' Nothing but drink, I reckon." 
 
 The men now joined them, and the photog- 
 rapher took some money from his pocket. 
 
 "Here's the amount I promised you, Corn- 
 well." 
 
 Harvey knew that he had heard that name be- 
 fore, but could not place it. 
 
 The photographer was ready to depart, so after 
 Harvey had given him his address, he, too, de- 
 cided to go. 
 
 Just as he was leaving, he heard one of the men 
 say: 
 
 " Corn well, I'll be thar at the house at the foot 
 of the track at eight to-night." 
 
 " I'll be waitin' yer," answered Corn well. 
 
 At the time the words made small impression on 
 
228 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Harvey's mind, having no idea that they would 
 concern him in any way, so light-heartedly he 
 ascended the path, thankful that his adventure 
 had proved uneventful. 
 
 He had ridden farther than he thought, and by 
 the time he reached home it was almost dark. 
 
 Supper was awaiting him, and once at table he 
 immediately related his adventure. 
 
 " My, but I was scared when I saw Cornwell 
 aiming at me as I thought. How should I know 
 that he was posing for a picture ? " said Harvey 
 in finish. 
 
 "CornweU?" repeated Beth. "Why that's 
 Carol's name. Can it be her father ? " 
 
 "I knew I'd heard the name before," said 
 Harvey. 
 
 " Speaking of illegal distilling reminds me of 
 my own vexation on that very subject," said Mr. 
 Davenport. " I have a suspicion that whisky is 
 being sold in one of my own houses." 
 
 "Why don't you stop it then?" demanded 
 Marian, who was very strict on the temperance 
 question. 
 
 " Because I cannot prove anything. It's this 
 way. About a month ago I rented a house be- 
 low here at the foot of the railroad track." 
 
 Even at these words Harvey did not remember 
 what had passed between Cornwell and his com- 
 panion about a place at the foot of some track. 
 
 " Ko one moved in," continued Mr. Davenport, 
 
The Dark Comer 229 
 
 " but I've been told that men and boys go there 
 for whisky, that money and jugs are passed 
 through an opening, and I mean to solve the 
 mystery." 
 
 " Miss Mary, dey's to have a cake-walk obber 
 at de hotel to-night, an' dey done 'low datyou all 
 should come," announced Gustus. 
 
 Mrs. Davenport looked at Beth. " You should 
 not go, dear, and so we had better stay home." 
 
 Marian and Julia were disappointed. Still on 
 account of Beth they would not ask to go. 
 
 " You must go without me." Beth's lips quiv- 
 ered slightly but she tried very hard to be brave. 
 *'It's just the chance to talk about our show to 
 the guests there." 
 
 " But we haven't decided when to have it." 
 
 "How will a week from next Saturday do?" 
 asked Beth. 
 
 " I reckon we can be ready then," answered 
 Harvey, who had been appointed master of cere- 
 monies. "And I'll stay with you to-night, 
 Beth." 
 
 Her face brightened, but still she demurred. 
 " It's a shame " 
 
 " Keally I don't want to go, but the others had 
 better go to talk up the show as you suggest." 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 CdwVs Father 
 
 After the others had departed, Harvey and 
 Beth went to the kitchen with the idea of pop- 
 ping corn. They found Maggie sitting in front 
 of the fire, bent way over and looking very mis- 
 erable for her usually smiling self. 
 
 " Law, honeys, I done got de misery in my jints 
 so's I jes' can't walk," she announced. "I'se 
 powerful bad, an' if it warn't fer leavin' yo' two 
 alone, I'd go up to bed." 
 
 " Where are Gustus and Lizzie ? " 
 
 " I done reckon as how dat scamp of a Gustus 
 sneaked off after de odders. He thinks a power 
 of gabbin' wid de hotel help, an' Lizzy likewise. 
 Dat's why we're 'lone. Oh, gracious me, dat knee 
 of mine is jes' ter'ble." 
 
 "You go right to bed, Maggie. Indeed you 
 must go," commanded Beth. 
 
 "Dar nebber wuz sech a bossy chile as yo', 
 honey, but I 'specs I'll have to 'bey yo'." She 
 arose as if really reluctant ; nevertheless, her face 
 brightened perceptibly. 
 
 *' Of course, you will," and Beth pushed Mag- 
 gie out into the hall, slamming the door after her. 
 " Now for the corn, Harvey." 
 
234 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 When the corn was shelled, and some was pop- 
 ping, a timid knock sounded at the kitchen door. 
 
 "Who can it be?" whispered Beth, inclined 
 to be a little startled. 
 
 " We'll see," answered Harvey, boldly opening 
 the door. Beth caught a glimpse of a tow-head 
 without. 
 
 " Carol sent me." 
 
 " What does she want ? " demanded Beth. 
 
 " The baby's sick," blurted out the child. 
 
 " Oh," gasped Beth, unprepared for new trouble. 
 
 " An' maw wants some of you uns to come." 
 
 Beth was only undecided a moment as to what 
 should be done. 
 
 " Harvey, as there's no one to go but us, we'll 
 have to go ourselves." 
 
 "But Beth, you're not strong " 
 
 " I am strong, and we're going, so you needn't 
 argue. We'll not say a word to Maggie. We'll 
 take the kitchen key with us." 
 
 In a few minutes Beth and Harvey were ready 
 to accompany the child, and the three started, 
 locking the door behind them. 
 
 The night was dark, intensely dark. Dense 
 clouds had gathered hiding all the stars, and the 
 feeling of rain was in the air. 
 
 " We'll get lost, it's so dark," said Beth. 
 
 " I could shut my eyes, an' get to hum," said 
 the child, starting down the hill just ahead of 
 the others. 
 
CaroVs Father 235 
 
 When they had only gone a short distance, 
 Beth stumbled, almost falling over the root of a 
 tree. 
 
 '^ You'll have to be helped," said Harvey, 
 running to her aid. 
 
 " It is a little rough for me," she acknowledged. 
 
 The child alone was sure of her footing. 
 Harvey and Beth had to go cautiously, but finally 
 managed to reach the foot of the hill in safety. 
 
 " How strange," said Beth pausing. " I didn't 
 know that birds sang at night. Don't you hear 
 it too ? '* 
 
 "That hain't no bird. That's Carol singin' to 
 the baby," announced the child. 
 
 " It sounds more like a bird," persisted Beth. 
 
 " She likes to try an' sing like the birds." 
 
 "Harvey," whispered Beth, "I don't know 
 much about music, but it really seems quite 
 wonderful to me." 
 
 " It's very pretty indeed. I'm surprised," he 
 answered. 
 
 So was Beth, and a new plan for Carol began 
 to form in her mind, but she moved on in silence 
 to the cabin which was dimly lighted. 
 
 Seated by the hearth in which was a smoulder- 
 ing fire dying gradually out, was Carol trying to 
 quiet the baby with her singing. The children 
 were sleeping while Mrs. Cornwell anxiously 
 watched the door. As the children entered, she 
 raised herself on her elbow. 
 
236 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " Whar's yer paw ? This is work fer a man," 
 she cried shrilly. 
 
 " Hush, maw, hush," cautioned Carol. " Ye're 
 makin* 'Liz'beth restless agin." 
 
 Mrs. Cornwell paid no heed to the warning. 
 She was evidently greatly excited. Her eyes 
 burned unnaturally bright, and she wrung her 
 hands in nervous agitation. 
 
 " I kin stand hit no more," she moaned. " I 
 know now whar Sam'el goes. I won't stand hit 
 no more. Yer paw shall be told." Her voice 
 was growing shriller every moment. " That's why 
 I sent fer you uns. I 'spected he'd come 'stead of 
 sendin' you uns." 
 
 "We were told that the baby was sick 
 and " 
 
 " That's only part true. I'm so flighty over 
 Sam'el that I make 'Liz'beth restless. That's all, 
 an' I used hit as a 'scuse so's I could tell yer 
 paw — if he don't know hit already — how licker's 
 sold in his house." 
 
 " My father will stop it in a minute if you can 
 prove it," Beth said. 
 
 " I can't prove hit 'cept that Carol seen him — 
 Sam'el — comin' dead drunk from thar. He's 
 prob'ly thar now. I wish we had some one to 
 spy on 'em." 
 
 " He's there. I heard him agree to meet a 
 man there at eight," answered Harvey, the words 
 of the afternoon flashing into his mind. 
 
CaroVs Father 237 
 
 She looked him over critically. "Yer be 
 pretty small, but I wish yer dared go to make 
 sure. Will yer go ? " 
 
 " I'll go," he promised. 
 
 The sick woman was flighty and hardly real- 
 ized what she was proposing. 
 
 " Yes, yes, do go. Take Brune with yer." 
 
 " I'll go too," put in Beth. 
 
 "You'll do nothing of the sort," answered 
 Harvey. " You wait here." 
 
 She insisted, but he would not consent. 
 
 "Go with him, Brune," Carol commanded, 
 waking the dog from where he slept on the 
 hearth. 
 
 " He might make a noise, and " 
 
 " Yer jes' say, ' quiet, Brune, quiet,' an' he'll 
 make no noise." 
 
 The companionship of the dog, because of the 
 darkness, was acceptable to the boy. 
 
 " Whew, but it's dark," he said outside, keeping 
 Brune close beside him. He was not familiar 
 with the path down to the railroad track, and lost 
 his way several times, so that he stumbled over 
 the roots of trees, skinned his shins, and repented 
 of his undertaking although he would not turn 
 back. 
 
 At first he was not frightened, but, when 
 almost at the railroad track, a sudden noise below 
 him started his heart beating at a great rate. 
 
 In a moment he smiled over his own cowardice. 
 
238 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " The idea of my being afraid of the croaking 
 of frogs," he thought, "but at first I didn't 
 remember there was a pond down there." 
 
 However, with fear once aroused, there was 
 soon new food for it to feed on. Arrived at the 
 railroad track, Harvey paused abruptly, for he 
 thought he heard people talking down by the 
 house at the foot of the embankment. Brune, 
 too, growled, which assured Harvey that people 
 were below. 
 
 " Quiet, Brune, quiet," he cautioned, and the 
 dog immediately settled down obediently beside 
 Harvey. 
 
 Harvey would have liked to whistle as did 
 Gustus when scared, but realized that unless he 
 kept his approach quiet, he could not hope to ac- 
 complish anything. Although he acknowledged 
 that the task before him frightened him, still he 
 would not turn back. 
 
 Notwithstanding his trepidation, he quickly 
 thought out what should be done. He had often 
 walked along the track up this way, and knew 
 the embankment to be very steep, almost per- 
 pendicular in fact, but to find out anything he 
 must get down it some way. He realized that 
 even the underbrush and rocks just below the 
 upper ledge which had been filled in to make 
 the roadbed, might send him head foremost right 
 into the midst of the men, for it w^as impossi. 
 ble to see a foot around him. Nevertheless, he 
 
CaroVs Father 239 
 
 was bound to carry out the adventure to a 
 finish. 
 
 Cautiously as he could, he started downward. 
 In a moment he heartily repented the attempt. 
 The loose sand around him giving way, he was 
 carried irresistibly along with it. Brune, too, was 
 caught in the downward avalanche, but, being 
 surer-footed, stopped himself the sooner. Harvey 
 grabbed hold of a bush which broke his wild 
 flight momentarily, but the dirt rattled on down- 
 hill making considerable noise. 
 
 As Harvey clung breathlessly, his weight up- 
 rooted the bush, again sending him sprawling 
 downward. In desperation he reached out wildly, 
 and was held a second by a good sized boulder, 
 until it loosened also and went clattering to the 
 foot of the hill. 
 
 In a moment Harvey grasped another bush 
 thus succeeding in gaining his feet. All hopes 
 of finding out anything seemed over, for the ava- 
 lanche of rattling dirt and rocks would have 
 scared people into hiding if they had any cause 
 for so doing, and Harvey decided to return to 
 the cabin for Beth. But when he let go of the 
 bush to take a step upward, the way proved so 
 steep that he realized that he would have to go 
 to the foot of the embankment and walk around 
 by the road to the track. So down the hill he 
 and Brune continued, and soon they were on 
 level ground again right back of the house that 
 
240 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 had been arousing so much suspicion of late. 
 Harvey drew a deep breath, and paused a mo- 
 ment to steady his nerves which were still de- 
 cidedly shaky. All was perfectly quiet now. 
 
 " We can't find out anything, but let's have a 
 look at the place anyway," he said to the dog. 
 
 Not the least sign of life did he find near the 
 house, and so he was ready to return. 
 
 " Come on, Brune," he called, for the dog had 
 wandered from his side. 
 
 At the same instant Brune whined and began 
 yelping. 
 
 " What is it, old fellow ? " For an instant he 
 thought the dog had made some discovery, until 
 Brune quieted down so suddenly that Harvey con- 
 cluded he had but scented game which he would 
 not hound at night. 
 
 Harvey was about to walk on when a sound as 
 of a smothered groan stopped him. 
 
 " Brune," he called, " Brune," but the dog did 
 not come running in response. 
 
 For the second time the same mysterious sound 
 broke the stillness, and Harvey began to feel de- 
 cidedly nervous. The groan evidently came from 
 some human being in distress, and in the dark- 
 ness and loneliness of the spot suggested horrible 
 possibilities to Harvey who knew not whether 
 to run or to try to solve the mystery. As the 
 groans did not cease, he decided that he could not 
 leave any human being in such misery, and Brune 
 
CaroVs Father 241 
 
 would probably come to his aid if he needed as- 
 sistance. Harvey, therefore, advanced cau- 
 tiously, guided by the cry that was not far 
 off. 
 
 All at once he almost stumbled over a pros- 
 trate form, and then he saw that Brune was keep- 
 ing guard close by. 
 
 " Don't take me, don't. I have nothin' to do 
 with sellin' whisky. I swear hit," groaned the 
 figure on the ground almost incoherently while 
 between every sentence there was a groan. 
 
 Harvey's courage returned. He saw that the 
 man on the ground was not only hurt, but for 
 some reason was afraid of him. 
 
 " What's the matter ? " he demanded. 
 
 " A lot of we uns were yonder when we heard 
 the officers " 
 
 " What officers ? " 
 
 " You revenue officers " 
 
 " There are no revenue officers that I know of. 
 What do you mean ? " 
 
 "Didn't you uns come down the hill ? Hain't 
 you uns revenue officers ? " 
 
 " No, indeed, and only Brune and I came down 
 the hill." 
 
 " Only Brune and you ? " the man repeated 
 and then began cursing. 
 
 " Hush. Do hush," cried Harvey greatly 
 shocked. As the man did not heed him he added, 
 " I'll leave you if you don't stop." 
 
242 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " YerVe got to help me. I'm hurt. When we 
 
 ran " 
 
 " Why did you run ? What were you afraid 
 of?" 
 
 The man did not pay the least attention to the 
 questions. " I caught my foot an' over I went. 
 I tried to get up but I can't stand on my foot. 
 Hit's awful bad. I jes' had to groan when my 
 dawg Brune " 
 
 "Your dog?" repeated Harvey. "You are 
 Samuel Cornwell then, Carol's father ? " 
 
 " What yer know 'bout Carol ? " 
 
 " My friend, Beth Davenport " 
 
 " Ye're one of the 'ris'crats on the hill then,'* 
 muttered Cornwell. " If I wasn't hurt, I'd see 
 yer damned 'fore I asked any thin' from yer or 
 yer kind. But now yer've got to help me get 
 hum, or it'll be the worse fer yer." He was in- 
 clined to be quarrelsome for he was evidently 
 under the influence of liquor. " Yer got to get 
 me a horse to carry me. Can't walk," he mut- 
 tered doggedly. Evidently he did not recognize 
 Harvey who decided to say nothing of the meet- 
 ing in the afternoon. 
 
 " You must try to walk," commanded Harvey, 
 believing that perhaps drunkenness kept him 
 from rising. 
 
 Cornwell obediently rose, but sank back with 
 a groan so very real that Harvey was assured 
 that he was not shamming. 
 
CaroVs Father 243 
 
 " Hain't no use. Yer reckon I'd be here if I 
 could gotten 'way ? " 
 
 Harvey, hardly knowing what to do, tried very 
 hard to plan some way to get Corn well home. 
 
 " If I bring a mule, do you think you'll be able 
 to ride ? " he asked presently. 
 
 " If yer'd help me up, I'd ride all right." 
 
 Harvey decided to go for Kueur. " I'll be back 
 in a short time," he promised. As he started 
 away, Brune would have followed, had not Corn- 
 well called gruffly : 
 
 " Here, Brune, yer stay right here with me." 
 And then he swore at the dog so vigorously that 
 Harvey thought it might be right to leave him to 
 his suffering had it not been for his wife's 
 anxiety. 
 
 As Harvey hurried along the road, it came to 
 him again how Gustus always whistled or sang 
 to keep the " spooks " away. 
 
 "It's so dark, to-night, he'd have to make an 
 awful noise to keep up his courage at all," thought 
 Harvey. 
 
 He knew that he would have no difficulty in 
 getting the mule, as the Davenports' barn was 
 never locked even at night, and he felt sure that 
 Beth would approve of his taking her pet. 
 
 " Kueur is figuring quite a good deal in ' 'spe- 
 riences,' as Beth would say," he thought later, 
 when he had the mule saddled and was on the 
 way back. 
 
244 -^ ilfat'c/ of the Mountains 
 
 "I 'lowed yer was gwinter stay all night," 
 complained Cornwell as Harvey dismounted be- 
 side him. Harvey considered such a complaint 
 unfair, as he had hurried as fast as possible. 
 
 *' Dunno how I'll make it. My foot hurts pow- 
 erful bad, an' I feel mighty shaky," he continued, 
 nevertheless with Harvey's aid he managed to 
 swing up into the saddle. 
 
 Cornwell appeared so decidedly " shaky " that 
 Harvey decided to lead Rueur. Brune trotted 
 along beside him, and thus they made their way 
 slowly back to the hut in the hollow. 
 
 " The ole woman 'lows that I drink," Cornwell 
 muttered confidentially, as Harvey helped him 
 down. " 'Course she's 'staken, but she'll kinder 
 go fer me jes' the same, but yer watch an' see 
 how I fool her." 
 
 Harvey tied Rueur, and then helped Cornwell 
 inside. 
 
 '' Drunk agin," cried Mrs. Cornwell at sight of 
 the staggering man. She sprang up in bed, and 
 her fever-lit eyes flashed. "If I war 'round 
 thar'd be no carry in' on like this, Sam 'el Corn- 
 well. I'd not have hit. Yer'd have to do some- 
 thin' fer yer young uns or go not to cum back." 
 
 Cornwell sank down on the nearest chair. 
 " Don't 'cite yerself, Maria. Hit's a right pooty 
 evenin'. Too pooty to 'cite yerself." 
 
 " Sam'el," and his wife began to sob, " I " 
 
 " Oh, shut up," growled Cornwell. " I'm hurt. 
 
Carol's Father 245 
 
 Help me off with this boot. Hit hurts powerful 
 bad," he added to Harvey. 
 
 The foot was so swollen that with great dif- 
 ficulty the boot came off. His suffering some- 
 what appeased his wife. 
 
 " Carol, get a bucket of water an' let yer paw 
 soak his foot," she said in milder tones. " Then 
 yer kin come to bed, Sam'el. I'll not talk 'til 
 mornin'." 
 
 Beth rose from her seat beside the fire. Her 
 heart was heavy, which was even worse than 
 being so tired. 
 
 " We'll go if you don't need us any more," she 
 said. 
 
 " Dunno as thar's nought yer kin do," muttered 
 Mrs. Cornwell. " Dunno as thar's nought noan 
 kin do." 
 
 Outside the two children breathed a little freer, 
 although what they had just witnessed made 
 more apparent, more horribly real, the awful 
 effects of sin than anything they had ever ex- 
 perienced. 
 
 " You ride up the hill," proposed Harvey in a 
 hushed voice, and he helped her into the saddle. 
 Then he walked along by her side. 
 
 Beth was too deeply stirred even for question- 
 ing, and Harvey was not talkative, so in unbroken 
 silence they proceeded. 
 
 Fireflies alone indicated that there was other 
 life still in the universe. Every once in a while 
 
246 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 little flashes of light relieved the pitch darkness 
 of the sleeping world. Beth wished that she 
 might see some such flash of light in the darkness 
 that enveloped the Corn well family, but search 
 as she would, she could find none. 
 
 " Oh, Harvey, what is to become of them ? " 
 
 He had no answer. No flash of light shone to 
 his sense for the wretched family in the hollow. 
 
 All night he dreamed of revenue officers chas- 
 ing illegal distillers. In fact he thought himself 
 an officer, and such a capable one that finally all 
 drinking in Tremont ceased. 
 
 The subject had taken such a strong hold of 
 his mind that in the morning, immediately after 
 breakfast, he started down to the railroad to see 
 where he and Brune slid down the embankment. 
 He felt sure of finding the spot by the uprooted 
 bushes and stone. Before starting out, he related 
 to the family the adventure of the night before. 
 
 At the track he met Marian who was returning 
 from an errand, and she joined Harvey. 
 
 " Here's the very spot," called Harvey, excit- 
 edly. " I'd never have dared go down in day- 
 light. It's even steeper than I thought." 
 
 " It's a wonder you didn't break your neck," 
 declared Marian, shuddering to think that he had 
 been so foolhardy. 
 
 " Why, there's Brune," called Harvey suddenly. 
 " I wonder if he's come to see what a wonderful 
 feat we accomplished last night." 
 
Carol's Father 247 
 
 " And there's Carol ! " exclaimed Marian. 
 " Hello, Carol ! " 
 
 The mountain girl who was still half hidden by 
 underbrush, had not noted them or heard their 
 voices until Marian called, although she was 
 climbing nearer to them quickly and easily. 
 
 " Why don't you go on a little farther where 
 it's not so steep," called Harvey, thinking of his 
 own experience. 
 
 " Law, this hain't nothin'." And to show that 
 she meant it, she climbed the steep embankment 
 with as little effort as many people walk on level 
 ground. 
 
 "I hain't lived on the side of a mountain 
 so long a time fer nothin'," she boasted as 
 she halted beside them without the least lack of 
 breath. 
 
 " What have you there, Carol ? " questioned 
 Marian, indicating a jug that the girl was carry- 
 ing. Carol hung her head. 
 
 "Is it molasses?" continued unsuspicious 
 Marian. 
 
 Carol shook her head. " I done wish hit war 
 merlasses," she muttered. " Hit wouldn't do no 
 harm as this '11." 
 
 All at once, it flashed through Marian's mind 
 what the jug contained. 
 
 " You shouldn't go for liquor for your father. 
 Where did you buy it?" demanded Marian 
 eagerly. 
 
248 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Carol continued to hang her head. " I darsen't 
 tell. He'd kill me." 
 
 " Who ? Your father ? " 
 
 Carol did not answer. 
 
 *' You got it from that house down there," 
 Marian continued eagerly, pointing to the house 
 in the shadow of the railroad embankment. " I 
 know you got it there." 
 
 Carol looked up in surprise. "How'd yer 
 know ? Did yer see me ? " 
 
 Marian was exultant. Her father could now 
 stop the illegal sales, she thought. 
 
 " You must come right along up to the house 
 with us, Carol." 
 
 The mountain girl held back, until Marian in- 
 sisted with so much vigor that she had no choice 
 but to obey. 
 
 Half-way home, they came across Mr. Daven- 
 port who was just returning from the village. 
 
 *' Papa, they do sell liquor in your house," cried 
 Marian. "Carol just bought some there. It's 
 here in this jug." She pointed to the jug as if 
 she feared it contained a viper that might spring 
 out on them any minute. 
 
 Carol was growing scared of the scene that she 
 knew awaited her at home if her part in the dis- 
 closure were revealed. 
 
 " I hain't tole nothin'," she sobbed. " She said 
 she knew I got hit from you uns' house. An' 
 paw'll kill me if he hears of this." 
 
Carol's Father 249 
 
 " ril see that he does not hurt you, but you 
 must tell me just how you got the whisky," an- 
 swered Mr. Davenport lirmly. 
 
 Fiually, under his searchmg questioning, she 
 admitted that she had passed money and a jug 
 through a hole into the house, and that the jug 
 had been returned to her filled. 
 
 " You let me have that w^hisky, Carol," com- 
 manded Mr. Davenport. 
 
 "I darsen't. Paw'd kill me," she repeated. 
 
 Mr. Davenport took some money from his 
 pocket. " Here is the same amount you passed 
 in for the whisky, Carol. Take it back to your 
 father and tell him the place has been closed by 
 my order. You will be telling no lie, for I shall 
 immediately demand my lease back. The man 
 will not dare object when he finds out that I 
 know what is going on." 
 
 Carol was only too glad to obey. She was old 
 enough to realize that liquor was the great curse 
 on her home life, for all in her family had suffered 
 while her father was under its baneful influ- 
 ence. 
 
 " You uns air very good to we uns," she mur- 
 mured, and then started homeward. Marian 
 walked on a little way wnth her. 
 
 ft/ 
 
 " Can't you talk to your father and get him to 
 do better, Carol ? " 
 
 " Me talk to him ? Hit'd do no good at all. 
 Maw's done talked to him all mornin'." She 
 
250 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 walked on a moment in stolid silence, then she 
 had an unexpected inspiration. 
 
 " I reckon if yer'd talk to paw hit moight do 
 some good. We uns have all tole him how kind 
 you uns have been, an' I reckon he moight listen 
 to yer this afternoon when he's sobered up. Will 
 yer come down ? " 
 
 Marian's breath was so taken away by the 
 proposition that she stopped perfectly still. Carol 
 looked at her wistfully waiting for an answer. 
 
 "If — if I can come I will," gasped Marian 
 finally, and then fled toward home. 
 
 Carol's words, " hit moight do him some good," 
 kept ringing in Marian's ears. 
 
 " ' Hit moight do him some good,' — what pos- 
 sible good could I do ? " she wondered in a petu- 
 lant mood. " I wouldn't know what to say. I 
 hate to go. I won't go." 
 
 But although she declared this over and over 
 to herself, conscience finally drew her down to 
 the hut rather late in the afternoon. She took 
 Duke with her as she felt a little less timid with 
 him near. 
 
 " I can't say a word to Carol's father," she said 
 to herself at the door of the hut. " It's no good 
 at all my coming." 
 
 She w^as more than half inclined to return 
 without letting her coming be known, but Carol, 
 who had been on the lookout for her all the after- 
 noon, spied her before she could sneak away. 
 
CaroVs Father 251 
 
 " I knew yer'd come," she cried, running out, 
 and then she led poor, trembling Marian within. 
 Duke followed. 
 
 " Howdy," said Mrs. Cornwell from the bed. 
 "Carol said as how yer'd come, an' we've all 
 been 'spectin' yer. Sam'el, here's one of the 
 young ladies from the hill come to see yer." 
 
 He sat with his back to Marian. When he 
 found that he could not get liquor, he had con- 
 sented to drink some coffee prepared by Carol, 
 and afterward he had eaten something, so that 
 now he was perfectly sober and in a somewhat 
 chastened mood, because he had been unable to 
 escape the lecturing of his wife. 
 
 *' Howdy," he grunted, but did not turn to look 
 at Marian. 
 
 Duke walked over beside Mr. Cornwell and 
 sniffed at him. Carol had inherited her fondness 
 for dogs from her father. When in his right 
 mind, he was always good to animals, and now 
 he responded to Duke's advances by patting his 
 head. To Marian's surprise, Duke did not 
 resent the attention. As a rule, Duke did not 
 make friends so easily, especially with strange 
 men. 
 
 " Duke sees that I'm trying to be friendly, and 
 he's helping me," Marian decided. 
 
 Carol had drawn a chair near to her father for 
 Marian, but seated in it Marian felt more uncom- 
 fortable than ever. She was even more tongue- 
 
252 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 tied than she had feared. She could think of 
 absolutely nothing to say. 
 
 "That's a moighty val'ble dawg, paw," said 
 Carol finally to break the embarrassing silence. 
 " How much was hit yer sister tole me yer paw 
 was willin' to giv' for him 'fore the man made a 
 present of him to yer sister ? " 
 
 Marian could talk on this subject. " I've for- 
 gotten just what papa offered, but the man who 
 gave Duke to Beth had an offer of a hundred dol- 
 lars for him, but would not take it. And we've 
 been offered big prices for him, too, but we 
 wouldn't think of selling Duke, for we love him 
 too much. Once in Jacksonville, he was stolen, 
 and papa got him back by giving a large re- 
 ward." 
 
 Samuel Corn well eyed Duke with new interest. 
 " I reckon if I had a dawg worth that much, I'd 
 sell," he muttered, " tho' I do 'low some dawgs 
 air better than mankind," he added, and then set- 
 tled back into a gloomy silence. 
 
 Bashfulness once more seized upon Marian. 
 Carol rose, and walked over to 'Liz'beth who was 
 whimpering slightly, and patted her until she 
 was quiet. On her way back, she paused a mo- 
 ment beside Marian. 
 
 " Paw's 'shamed of hisse'f. Talk to him," she 
 whispered. 
 
 Marian felt more like sinking through the floor 
 than ever. She could not have done what Carol 
 
CaroVs Father 253 
 
 wished, at the moment, not even if she had been 
 assured that by so doing Samuel Cornwell would 
 be saved from drink forever. The silence was 
 most embarrassing, notwithstanding which Marian 
 had not the power to break it. She wondered 
 why she had come when she felt beforehand that 
 she could do no good. 
 
 " They'll blame me if I leave without saying 
 anything, but I just can't say a word," she thought 
 miserably. 
 
 " Yer know yer paw owns this place, an' we 
 hain't any money to pay this month," sighed 
 Mrs. Corn well. 
 
 " An' I reckon he'll be turnin' us out next," 
 added Samuel Cornwell fiercely, facing Marian 
 for the first time. 
 
 The cords of her tongue loosened. Her eyes 
 were pathetic in the intentness of her feelings. 
 *' I know my father'll not be hard on you, and if 
 you'd only work, he'd give you plenty to do." 
 
 In answer he laughed harshly. " I hain't no 
 sort of good at workin' land, an' no one'll trust 
 me to work at my trade." 
 
 " What is your trade ? " Marian hoped to dis- 
 cover something whereby he could be helped, and 
 in her excitement she clasped her hands nerv- 
 ously. 
 
 " 'Fore I — I " He almost said " before I 
 
 drank," but suddenly grew ashamed of his sin in 
 the presence of his visitor. " I was a carpenter 
 
254 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 years gone by, but when we uns came up this 
 here way thar war nothin' fer me to do 'cept 
 plough rocky land, an' I hain't cut out fer no sech 
 work as that. I hate hit an' I'll not do hit." 
 
 Marian was thinking, " If he's a carpenter, as 
 he says, he's the very man to help us out of our 
 difficulty." 
 
 She turned to him with shining eyes. " I've 
 thought of something that you can do to help 
 your family, Mr. Cornwell." 
 
 He had not been spoken to in such kindly tones 
 for a long while. He stirred uneasily in his chair, 
 and tried to keep his eyes from her pleading face, 
 but she attracted him to her in spite of himself. 
 
 " You know we're getting up an entertainment 
 for the benefit of the baby — your baby, little 
 Elizabeth," continued the pleading, eager young 
 voice. *• We're to have it down here, and we 
 need a platform, oh, so much. I know my father 
 would furnish the material if you'd only build it 
 for us. Please say you will, and I'll be so happy. 
 Your family will be so glad to have you working 
 for them. Will you build it for us ? " 
 
 " Oh, paw," cried Carol. 
 
 " Sam'el, I'll forgive a heap if you'll do hit," 
 murmured his wife. 
 
 He muttered something about " not bein' pes- 
 tered with women folks." 
 
 " Oh, paw," repeated Carol, on the verge of 
 tears. 
 
CaroVs Father iSS 
 
 " Do it because you want to help," cried Marian, 
 jumping up in her eagerness. 
 
 He had fully intended to refuse, but could not 
 withstand the pleading in her face. For a mo- 
 ment he said nothing, until Duke who had risen 
 stood by him as if to add his persuasion to the 
 others. Unconsciously, CornwelPs hand sought 
 the dog's head and rested gently there. 
 
 " Well, well," he said gruffly, " seein's how yer 
 want hit so much, an' if my foot's better, an' yer 
 don't pester me no more, I'll do hit." 
 
 " Oh, thank you, Mr. Corn well ; you're a very 
 nice man. I must run now and tell the others," 
 and Marian departed with a very much lighter 
 heart. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 The Entertainment 
 
 The day of the entertainment dawned as bright 
 as even Beth desired. She was awake long be- 
 fore it was time to rise, nevertheless she dressed 
 and hurried down to the kitchen, but, much to 
 her disappointment, Maggie was not yet visible. 
 
 "I'll measure out things, anyway," decided 
 Beth. And she bustled around getting out sugar, 
 butter, eggs and other necessary ingredients for 
 cake, and thus Maggie found her. The cook had 
 to rub her eyes to make sure that she was fully 
 awake. 
 
 " Law, honey, what yo' doin' in my kitchen dis 
 early ? Yo' surely ought to be gettin'yo' beauty 
 sleep so's to look fine for the en'tainment." 
 
 " Maggie, it just came to me last night that it 
 would make the affair more socialabler " — she 
 sometimes invented words for her own use — " if we 
 were to furnish 'freshments, so mamma promised 
 that we could have lemonade and cake, and I'm 
 to make the cake myself. Julia and Marian are 
 just to help with frostings. Isn't it too lovely for 
 anything, Maggie ? " 
 
26o A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Her mammy did not look as enthusiastic as 
 Beth expected. 
 
 " Hump," she muttered, " yo' 'specs me to 
 think it too lovely fer anythin' when yo' come 
 'round so early in de mornin' mussin' my kitchen 
 all up ? How yo' 'specs I'se to get breakfas' if 
 yo's under my feet ? " 
 
 " Now Maggie, dear " 
 
 " I ain't dear nothin'. I'll not have it, an' yo' 
 might as well get out of my kitchen firs' as las'. 
 So go 'long wid yo'." 
 
 Beth knew there was no arguing with Maggie 
 when in her present mood. The cook was the 
 autocrat of the kitchen, and if she persisted in 
 her waywardness there would be no cake served 
 that day. 
 
 *' Just as you say, Maggie," Beth answered 
 meekly, knowing w^ell how best to attain her 
 ends, " but you do want the entertainment to be 
 a success, so please help me with the cakes after 
 breakfast. There's a dear." 
 
 " Hump," muttered Maggie for the second 
 time, but she w^as almost smiling now. " We'll 
 see later," she added as Beth was leaving, so that 
 Beth knew that she had carried the day. 
 
 Mr. Davenport was the next member of the 
 household to arise. 
 
 " Papa, let's take a walk down to the hollow," 
 proposed Beth. " Maggie is just starting break- 
 fast and so we have plenty of time. I want to 
 
The Entertainment 261 
 
 make sure the platform is done. You know it 
 wasn't quite finislied last night, but Mr. Cornvvell 
 promised to work at it this morning." 
 
 As they started down the hill, she continued, 
 " Wasn't it fine for Marian to think of his help- 
 ing us ? He's done extra well, too. You said so 
 yourself, and I w^ant you to get him work." 
 
 He smiled at her eagerness. " We'll see how 
 sober he keeps." 
 
 "He'll ha\,^e to keep sober now that they've 
 stopped selling liquor at your house." 
 
 He would not tell her so, but he knew there 
 were other ways for a drinking man to get liquor 
 even in a '' dry " town. 
 
 " Beth," he said to change the subject, " you 
 have us all guessing what you've planned to have 
 Carol do this afternoon." 
 
 She smiled up at him brightly. "That's a 
 great secret. It was very hard to get her to 
 promise to do it, but now that she has, I think 
 you'll all like what she does, if she doesn't get 
 
 scared. I don't know much about s Oh, 
 
 there, I most told you — but I think she does ' it ' 
 pretty well. Isn't it a lovely day ? " she cried 
 changing the subject for fear she might unwit- 
 tingly betray her secret, and she pranced on 
 ahead so full of joy was she over the prospects 
 of the day before her. 
 
 Soon she saw Carol and her brothers and sisters 
 standing on the platform Mr. Cornwell had built. 
 
262 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " Hit's all done," called Carol up to her. " Paw 
 got up very early an' went to work, but the 
 minute he wuz through, he started right off, an' 
 maw's worried fer fear " She stopped ab- 
 ruptly as she did not wish to cast any shadow over 
 Beth on this day of all days. " I'm so glad the 
 sun is shinin'," she addded as Mr. Davenport 
 and Beth drew near. 
 
 Beth's face fairly beamed. " Everything's 
 going beautifully. We were worried about 
 Julia's dress not coming, but she finally got it on 
 last night's train. It had gone to Asheville by 
 mistake. You just ought to see all our dresses. 
 We all have new ones and they're beauties. Come 
 up some time this morning and I'll show them to 
 you." 
 
 A shadow that Beth did not notice, fell over 
 Carol's face and, as the mountain girl was still 
 intent on keeping all trouble from her, she gave 
 no voice to the matter that had just made her 
 heart heavy. 
 
 Not until Beth and her father had departed, 
 did she give way to her feelings. Then she sank 
 down on a step of the platform and her head 
 sank dejectedly into her hands. 
 
 "What's the matter, Carol?" asked one of 
 the children eyeing her curiously. 
 
 " Nothin'," she answered dully, and then 
 added crossly, " Go 'long, every one of yer. I 
 hain't in no mood to be bothered by any of yer." 
 
The Entertainment 263 
 
 " Carol ! " called her mother at the moment, 
 *' 'Liz'beth's cryin\ Come an' take her." 
 
 She choked the sob that contracted her throat ; 
 wiped the tears from her eyes, and then went for 
 the baby. 
 
 With 'Liz'beth once in her arms, she hurried 
 outside beyond the sight of any one, and then 
 sank down on a log. She no longer tried to still 
 the tempest that was raging within. With her 
 charge held very close, her tears fell on the 
 whimpering child. 
 
 " Hit's most fer yer I mind," she sobbed. " I 
 can't take yer the way yer air, an' she'll be dread- 
 ful dis'pinted. How kin I tell her ? How kin 
 I do hit, but I jes' must." 
 
 In happy unconsciousness of the trouble she 
 had caused, the morning passed quickly to Beth. 
 Toward noon several fine cakes besides lemon 
 juice and sherbet glasses were borne in triumph 
 down to the hollow. Not until then did Beth 
 wonder why Carol had not put in an appearance. 
 
 *' Gustus, do you know what's become of 
 Carol ? " she asked. 
 
 " I ain't seen her. Missy Beth." 
 
 She looked slightly troubled. " You must find 
 her for me, Gustus. I forgot to tell her to come 
 up to my room after lunch, and it will spoil the 
 whole afternoon if she don't come. So you must 
 find her for me." 
 
 Gustus' eyes rolled tragically, for he was very 
 
264 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 much interested. " Don't yo' worry, Missy Betli, 
 fer I'll shurelv hav' her thar fer yo'." 
 
 Notwithstanding this reassurance, Beth was 
 troubled for fear her surprise for Carol would be 
 spoiled. 
 
 " Can't you find her ? " she cried eagerly, when 
 Gustus came into the dining-room toward the 
 close of the noonday meal, looking very hot and 
 uncomfortable. 
 
 " Ain't found her yet, Missy Beth, but I jes' 
 came to tole yo' dat she wuz seen up disaway 
 wid de baby, but she's nowhars 'bout now as I 
 kin see." 
 
 Tears came into Beth's eyes. " How could I 
 forget to tell her to come up ? " she murmured 
 dispiritedly. 
 
 "Never mind, Beth, she's sure to be found. 
 Go up and dress yourself, and by the time you're 
 ready Gustus will have found her," said Marian, 
 trying to hold a cheerful view of the situation, 
 although she, too, was disappointed that the 
 mountain girl was not on hand, knowing the 
 surprise Beth had in store for her. 
 
 On the way up-stairs Beth was only a little 
 cheered, for if Carol were not found her own 
 pleasure in her own new gown would be spoiled. 
 She opened the door of her room more quietly 
 than ordinarily. 
 
 " Oh ! " she exclaimed, surprised and greatly 
 pleased. Carol, with 'Liz'beth in her arms, was 
 
The Entertainment 265 
 
 seated in a rocker facing the south window. She 
 jumped to her feet, pressing 'Liz'beth convulsively 
 to her breast, and held her there with one arm 
 while she raised the other to brush some tears 
 from her cheeks. 
 
 " Carol, what's the matter ? You mustn't cry 
 on the afternoon of your entertainment," Beth 
 cried, rushing over beside her protege. 
 
 Carol was too embarrassed and too miserable 
 to speak. She sobbed outright. Then 'Liz'beth 
 began to whimper, and the two cried together. 
 
 Beth was at her wits' end. It was time to be 
 dressing, and she knew not what to do to cheer 
 her two guests, and then there was Gustus hunt- 
 ing Carol. He, too, should be getting ready. 
 
 " Maggie," she called, running to the head of 
 the stairs, ^* Carol's up here. Please call Gustus 
 and tell him to get ready." 
 
 ^' All right, honey." 
 
 *' Now see here, Carol, this will never do," con- 
 tinued Beth, once more going over beside her. 
 " If you and 'Liz'beth cry, the people will see it 
 this afternoon." 
 
 "No, they won't," burst out Carol between 
 
 sobs. "You uns'U hate me fer hit, but " 
 
 sobs choked her so that she could not go on. 
 
 Beth was getting desperate. " Stop this min- 
 ute, Carol, and tell me what's the matter." 
 
 "'Liz'beth an' me hain't to take part. We 
 can't do hit." 
 
266 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Beth sank down on a chair. "Not take part? 
 You must." 
 
 Carol shook her head stubbornly, but said no 
 more. Whereupon Beth jumped up and put her 
 arms around the girl. 
 
 " You wouldn't spoil everything, Carol? Now 
 let me take 'Liz'beth while you dry your eyes. 
 We must dress." 
 
 Carol clung more steadfastly to the baby. Her 
 lip trembled pathetically, while she gulped down 
 her sobs. 
 
 " That's hit," she murmured. " 'Liz'beth an' 
 
 me hain't anythin' to " She paused ashamed. 
 
 " You uns won't understand, but I can't disgrace 
 yer even though yer thinks hit pride, an' I hain't 
 no money to buy new things. Yer wouldn't want 
 us to 'pear in these duds, would yer ? " 
 
 With light as to the cause of Carol's refusal to 
 take part, joy flooded Beth's soul. She tore over 
 to the bed, and seized a pretty white gown that 
 lay next to her own. 
 
 " Oh, I'm so glad we thought of it ! " she cried, 
 turning a beaming face toward the puzzled girl 
 in the room with her. " I'm so glad I'd most 
 outgrown it, aren't you ? " 
 
 " Glad ? " repeated Carol, more puzzled. " Hit 
 am jes' grand, but hit looks rale small fer yer." 
 
 Beth laughed outright. With the dress thrown 
 over her shoulder, she seized Carol, still with the 
 baby, and tried to whirl her around. 
 
The Entertdinment 267 
 
 " So you like it ? I think it'll just fit you, Carol." 
 
 "Fit me?" 
 
 " Yes, it's for you." Beth let go her hold to 
 watch the effect of her words. 
 
 Carol's eyes almost popped out of her head. 
 To her the idea of possessing anything so dainty 
 as the dress in question seemed incredible. 
 
 " Me — me to have hit ? " she gasped, hugging 
 the baby so tight that its wizened face puckered 
 until it was on the verge of crying again. 
 
 " Of course, you're to have it, if you care for 
 it." 
 
 "Care for hit?" and then Carol burst into 
 tears once more. 
 
 "Why, what's the matter now?" Beth was 
 afraid she was hurt over being offered second- 
 hand clothing. 
 
 "I never 'spected nothin' so grand after we 
 uns heard our money warn't comin'," she an- 
 swered between sobs, and while she patted 
 'Liz'beth. 
 
 " It isn't a bit too grand for you." Beth was 
 overjoyed at the success of her surprise. " Lay 
 'Liz'beth on the bed while you and I dress, and 
 you can look over these other things I have for 
 you." 
 
 Still Carol hesitated. Her face was again 
 downcast. 
 
 " What's the matter now ? " Beth cried, noting 
 her expression. 
 
268 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Carol hung her head. " I — I was only wishin' 
 hit would go on 'Liz'beth. Couldn't we pin hit 
 on her so hit wouldn't look bad ? I don't mind 
 'bout myself if she looks perat-like." 
 
 Beth was ashamed of her momentary impa- 
 tience. " You're a dear, unselfish girl, and I'm a 
 very thoughtless one. I've " 
 
 "You're the best I ever knowed," murmured 
 Carol, with her eyes slightly dim. 
 
 Beth drew her over toward the bed. 
 
 " Mrs. Morton was the one to think of them," 
 she said, but Carol could not imagine what she 
 meant until Beth grasped an armful of dainty 
 white from the bed and added : 
 
 " She sent North for these for 'Liz'beth. They 
 belonged to her baby, and at first she thought 
 she couldn't part with them, but now she really 
 wants 'Liz'beth to wear them to-day, and you're 
 to own them afterward, too." 
 
 " Oh," gasped Carol. Her heart was full to 
 running over, still she had no words to express 
 her joy. She could only stand and eye her won- 
 drous gifts reverently, not daring yet even to 
 touch them. 
 
 " Are you really pleased ? " asked Beth, fearful 
 that Carol did not fully appreciate Mrs. Morton's 
 generosity. " What shall I say to Mrs. Morton 
 for you, or will you thank her yourself ? " 
 
 " That's hit. I kin never find words to make 
 
The Entertainment 269 
 
 her know how I feel, but maybe yer kin tell her 
 fer me.'* 
 
 " How do you feel, Carol ? '' 
 
 For a moment she could not answer. Only 
 after a struggle did she voice her joy. 
 
 " I feel like 'Liz'beth an' me was bein' clothed 
 in heavenly white. I heard a sermon 'bout bein' 
 clothed in the white the Bible tells 'bout," she 
 explained, and now that wonder had given place 
 to joy in her expression, Beth was more than sat- 
 isfied. Carol gained courage and stepped nearer 
 to the treasures, and even touched some of the 
 lace, but very carefully, as if it were of a cob- 
 webby nature that might be hurt by a touch. 
 
 " I understand how Mrs. Morton feels 'bout 
 any one wearin' her baby's clothes," she contin- 
 ued, " an' hit am powerful good in her to let we 
 uns have 'um, an' please tell her fer me I'll al- 
 ways be very careful when 'Liz'beth has 'um on 
 jes' like people air of their clothes at meetin'. 
 They're so grand I'll always hav' that feelin' 
 'bout um anyway." 
 
 Beth wished that Mrs. Morton could see and 
 hear her, but she intended to do her best describ- 
 ing Carol's joy. She was sorry she could not 
 talk more on the subject, but she knew it was time 
 for them to be dressing. 
 
 " Maggie, will you come up and dress 'Liz'- 
 beth ? " she called, running to the door. 
 
270 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Carol looked wistful. " Let me dress her. I'd 
 jes' love to do hit." 
 
 Beth shook her head. " You'll not have time. 
 We must get ready ourselves while Maggie's fix- 
 ing her." 
 
 A moment later Maggie came puffing into the 
 room and took the baby from Carol. 
 
 " Hump," she muttered, and then added, " I'm 
 jes' 'cited to know what yo' thinks ob all dese 
 gran' new fixin's, an' ob my little missy here fer 
 gettin' so many frills for yo' an' de chile. Eh, 
 tell me dat now ? " 
 
 " Maggie, don't bother us," begged Beth, coax- 
 
 ingly. 
 
 Carol looked up into the black face wistfully. 
 " She's — she's powerful good," she faltered as 
 much at a loss for words as she had been a few 
 minutes before when thinking of Mrs. Morton's 
 kindness. Then, overcoming her bashfulness, she 
 added, " I love her mor'n any one in all the worl' 
 'less hit be 'Liz'beth thar, an' I only love her 
 more 'cause she needs me so very much." 
 
 " Carol, we must hurry," cautioned Beth not 
 wishing Maggie to draw out any more praise 
 for her. 
 
 But Maggie was softened, and while she washed 
 and dressed the baby, she thought : 
 
 " I 'lowed I knowed all 'bout pooh white trash, 
 an' at firs' I counted Carol as one ob dem, but I 
 reckon I wuz clean 'staken. Dey ain't grateful 
 
The Entertainment 271 
 
 an' she certainly am. Maybe my honey lamb 
 knows moah dan her black mammy heah, an' 
 Carol's dif runt dan I 'lowed." 
 
 Meantime Carol had difficulty in dressing her- 
 self so intent was she on the transformation that 
 Maggie was bringing about, but as Beth would 
 not allow her to stop in her own toilet, by the 
 time Maggie had 'Liz'beth all arrayed in her new 
 finery, the two girls themselves were ready. 
 
 Then Carol gazed with all her might at 'Liz- 
 'beth, and the look in her eyes made Maggie's 
 own eyes moist, so that she placed the baby in 
 Carol's arms. Carol held the little one reverently 
 looking down at her charge as if she had an angel 
 direct from God. 
 
 " She done has a look jes' like some ob dem 
 maidonners dat Miss Mary has in de pictures 
 down-stairs," speculated Maggie to herself. 
 
 Carol turned to Beth. " Hain't she peart-like ? 
 Hain't she sweet ? I didn't 'low she could 'pear 
 so grand." 
 
 Her enthusiasm touched Beth, although she 
 could not view the baby with Carol's eyes. Beth 
 only saw a wizened child less unattractive than 
 usual because of the neatness, the daintiness of its 
 attire. But to Carol, 'Liz'beth was transformed 
 so that she was actually beautiful. 
 
 " Oh, I'll not be scared now," cried Carol as 
 she gazed rapturously, " an' I'll sure do yer 
 proud. Why I could face a lot of " — she paused 
 
272 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 for a word sufficiently strong to voice her senti- 
 ment, " a lot of bars," she added, " an' not be a 
 mite scared. I'll jes' think of this beaut'ful baby, 
 an' my heart'll clean well over." 
 
 " And I never saw you look so nice. The dress 
 fits you as if it were made for you. Why, Carol, 
 you're really pretty in it." Then Beth blushed 
 fearing that the mountain girl might see that 
 never before had she thought her good looking. 
 " It's very becoming," she added in confusion, 
 " but it's because you're so proud and pleased 
 about 'Liz'beth that makes you look the nicest." 
 
 '' That's hit." Carol was not hurt but pleased. 
 
 "Are you ready, Beth?" called Julia at 
 the door. " Marian and Harvey have gone 
 down." 
 
 " Come in and let us see how you look," cried 
 Beth. " Oh," she gasped at sight of her little 
 friend. " You look more like a cherub than 
 ever." 
 
 Julia, arrayed in a costume she had worn in a 
 flower dance in Florida, stood in the middle of 
 the room, flushing with pleasure over their evi- 
 dent admiration. 
 
 " Yo's jes' like a Floridah rose come to life," 
 commented Maggie. 
 
 Carol who felt called upon to say something, 
 was decidedly at a loss for words but managed to 
 say, "yer look like a — a — well, rale, rale peart- 
 like." 
 
The Entertainment 273 
 
 " I never saw you look better," answered Julia 
 kindly. 
 
 Carol held up the baby. " An' jes' see 'Liz'- 
 beth. Hain't she a rale little beauty ? "We uns 
 air so fine an' we owe hit all to her " — looking 
 toward Beth, "an' to Mrs. Morton. We uns kin 
 never do 'nuff fer um." 
 
 " We'd better hurry," interrupted Beth. " Mag- 
 gie, are you coming down with us ? " 
 
 Maggie tossed her head. '* Law, honey, don't 
 yo' reckon I has to spruce up firs' myself ? I'se 
 goin' to wear all de finery I has to do yo' proud. 
 Yes, 'deed, honey, so run 'long wid yo'." 
 
 " Lots of people are sure to come. It's such a 
 fine afternoon," declared Julia on the way to the 
 hollow. Summer warmth was in the streaming 
 sunshine but was pleasantly tempered by a cool- 
 ing breeze. 
 
 " To think that the summer is o^oino^ to be such 
 a nice one when it began so badly for me makes 
 me too happy for anything," cried Beth, skipping 
 joyously ahead of the others. " I've a feeling 
 that only good can come to me now, which makes 
 me glad all the time. I haven't told you, Carol, 
 that papa has promised to take us camping very 
 soon, and perhaps you can come up and visit us." 
 
 " Me — me to go campin' ? I'd like that power- 
 ful well." 
 
 " Harvey's having a great time with the cur- 
 tain," called Marian who saw them coming. 
 
274 -A. Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Then they all hurried up on the platform 
 where both Harvey and Gustus were striving to 
 see what was wrong with the ropes strung from 
 two poles by which they meant to slide the cur. 
 tain draped across the front of the platform. 
 
 " They don't go unless we pull them by hand," 
 explained Harvey. " I can't fix them and it's too 
 late to get any one." 
 
 " I'll tell you what we'll do then," announced 
 Beth undaunted. " We'll take turns pulling them 
 back. We can hide behind the curtain like this." 
 To illustrate, she drew one half of the curtain 
 back and pulled it around her. 
 
 " Put it back quick, Beth. Some one's coming," 
 whispered Marian. 
 
 Beth peeked around the curtain. " It's papa 
 and mamma. They're to receive the people, you 
 know. Papa'll fix the curtain for us. No he 
 can't. There come some other people back of 
 them." She hastily ran the curtain into place. 
 
 Gustus stood eyeing her wistfully. " Yo' specs 
 they'll like my dancin', Missy Beth ? " he asked, 
 as she retreated toward the middle of the stage. 
 
 " Of course they will, Gustus." But she was 
 so excited that she paid little attention to him 
 which made him look at her most reproachfully. 
 
 " Yo' ain't nebber onct spoke how fine I is, 
 Missy Beth." 
 
 She looked contrite. " I'm forgetting heaps of 
 things to-day, Gustus. I just wish your mamma 
 
The Entertainment 275 
 
 could see you. She'd hardly know her own son, 
 I believe." 
 
 Her mind was traveling back over the years to 
 the time she had discovered Gustus a ragged out- 
 cast. That the boy now before her, neatly 
 dressed and with his black face scrubbed so clean 
 that it was shiny, could ever have been unkempt 
 seemed almost impossible. 
 
 '' Why wouldn't she know me ? " he asked, 
 hungering for flattery. 
 
 " Because you look so very, very fine, Gustus," 
 she answered sufficiently enthusiastic to satisfy 
 even him. 
 
 With her thoughts turned to the subject of 
 dress, Beth noted that Marian looked unusually 
 well in a shirred gown of pink, and that Harvey 
 appeared very manly even though he wore knee- 
 breeches like the master of a circus ring. 
 
 " Lots of people are coming," called Marian 
 with her eyes glued to the parting in the curtain. 
 
 " We're going to have a crowd sure," Julia 
 said pirouetting around the stage in her delight. 
 
 *' I'd better see that the dogs are all right as 
 they're second on the program," said Harvey, run- 
 ning down back of the platform to where they 
 were tied. 
 
 Beth, greatly excited, went over beside Marian 
 to peek, too. 
 
 " They have to crowd together," she whispered, 
 hereyesshiniug. "There comes Maggie. Papa's 
 
276 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 making room on the front seat for her. My, isn't 
 she fine ! She has on that green silk dress that she 
 treasures so. "What do you think of that, Marian 
 Davenport ? That shows that she takes as much 
 interest as any of us. I really believe she's got- 
 ten so that she's fond of Carol, although she 
 hasn't owned it to me." 
 
 " It's most time to begin," said Harvey a mo- 
 ment later, bringing a chair up on the platform 
 with him. Beth hustled Carol and the baby over 
 in it. Then she skipped back to the opening to 
 have one last look before they pulled back the 
 curtains. 
 
 Her heart leaped convulsively. Every seat 
 appeared to be occupied, and still people were 
 flocking down the hill. Where could they all be 
 seated ? she wondered. 
 
 Then she saw her father and the minister who 
 had loaned the benches, bring forward some logs 
 across which they stretched planks that had been 
 left from the stage. 
 
 Unaccountable fear seized upon Beth. Instead 
 of pleasing her as it had at first, the sea of faces 
 now terrified her. How had mere children like 
 themselves dared undertake to amuse so many 
 people? Notwithstanding the crowd present, 
 the affair would be an utter failure. If they 
 were all as scared as she, they could do nothing 
 as they had planned, and as for Carol, Beth hardly 
 dared think how the crowd would affect her. 
 
The Entertainment 277 
 
 "I shouldn't have asked her to take part," 
 thought Beth. " She'll be frightened out of 
 her wits and spoil everything from the very 
 beginning. Why did I insist on having her 
 first ? " 
 
 She hurried over to Carol and whispered, " Re- 
 member, you're to think of 'Liz'beth. You prom- 
 ised me that, and you mustn't get scared." 
 
 Carol smiled. " She's so peart-like, I'm thinkin' 
 of nothin' else, an' my heart's singin' in me 
 already." 
 
 Beth was not greatly reassured. " Just wait 
 until she sees the crowd, and then she'll think of 
 something else," she thought, and gave a nervous 
 start as the audience began clapping, which only 
 made her more agitated. 
 
 " The}'^ want us to begin," murmured Harvey. 
 
 Beth looked at him and saw that he was pale 
 himself. "He's afraid she'll fail, too," she 
 thought, but she would have been more troubled 
 if she had dreamed that he was nervous on his 
 own account. 
 
 "Harvey, they're getting impatient. Go on 
 out," commanded Marian. 
 
 After hesitating another moment, he stepped 
 through the opening between the curtains and 
 bowed to the audience. New applause greeted 
 him, and he had to wait for the noise to die 
 down. 
 
 " It's all quiet now, why don't he go on with 
 
278 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 his speech ? " whispered Beth to Julia. " They're 
 waiting, and he shouldn't keep them waiting." 
 
 " Ladies and gentlemen," began Harvey, and 
 then stopped. 
 
 Once more they clapped, and some one called, 
 "Hear, hear." 
 
 Whereupon a dead silence again reigned, while 
 Harvey stood pale and trembling before them. 
 Stage fright had seized upon him so that every 
 word of his speech went from him. 
 
 " Carol and the baby 'Liz'beth," he announced, 
 and hurriedly fled back of the curtains. 
 
 " Harvey, go out again," implored Beth. " It's 
 a shame for them not to hear that lovely speech 
 you had such a time making up and learning." 
 
 But he was deaf to her appeal. " Pull the cur- 
 tain back," he whispered. "We've told about 
 Carol and 'Liz'beth all over town, so that people 
 will understand just as well." 
 
 He began pulling back his side of the curtain, 
 and Beth saw there was nothing to do but draw 
 back her side, too. 
 
 Another round of applause followed. Carol 
 looked up troubled, so that Beth feared that 
 stage fright was going to overmaster her also. 
 
 " They're clapping because 'Liz'beth looks so 
 sweet," she whispered across to Carol. She never 
 even blushed over the falsehood. 
 
 Carol's face immediately lighted up, although 
 tears came into her blue eyes feeling their kind- 
 
The Entertainment 279 
 
 ness so deeply. Suddenly she held the baby out 
 so the people could the better see her darling. 
 
 " You uns air powerful good," she murmured. 
 The clapping ceased, to hear what she was saying. 
 Beth's heart stopped beating an instant, and then 
 began thumping wildly. That Carol should speak 
 was not down on the program, and Beth greatly 
 feared that she might say something that she 
 should not. 
 
 " A nice, kind lady guv these air grand clothes 
 to 'Liz'beth," continued Carol, feeling instinctively 
 that Mrs. Morton would not like her name used, 
 " an' Beth Davenport guv me my dress. If hit — 
 I should say it. She's teachin' me that — if it 
 hadn't been for her, we uns'd hav' starved. I 
 can't tell how good she's been." 
 
 " Hush, hush," murmured Beth, overcome, but 
 Carol was so intent on what she had to say that 
 she would not heed. 
 
 " She 'lowed that I should sing for you uns. I 
 hain't never had no lessons 'cept from Don — he 
 wuz my robin an' he sung powerful pretty. 1 
 don't sing as nice as him, but Beth Davenport 
 tole me to sing jes' as I do to 'Liz'beth here, an' 
 only to think of her. She says as how you uns 
 air so kind, you uns won't mind no mistakes." 
 
 'Liz'beth began to whimper while she spoke, 
 and Carol drew the babe closer to her motherly 
 heart. Back and forth she began to sway, rock- 
 ing the baby, while in her ordinary every-day 
 
28o A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 way she started a simple little air to quiet her 
 charge, and in a moment or two forgot that peo- 
 ple were listening. So quiet were thej that the 
 spell was unbroken. 
 
 Her words, " I hain't never had no lessons 'cept 
 from Don — he wuz my robin, an' he sung power- 
 ful pretty," repeated themselves to Mrs. Mor- 
 ton, and she leaned far forward in her seat to 
 listen. 
 
 Carol did more than sing " powerful pretty " ; 
 she sang with deep feeling, and, while she plainly 
 lacked cultivation, her voice was so flexible that 
 she took very high notes with little effort. Every 
 word, too, was distinct, and her mountain dialect 
 added to her charm for the Northerners. 
 
 The mother-like love revealed in Carol's face, 
 and an undercurrent of sadness in her singing, 
 caused Mrs. Morton's heart to melt so that she 
 sobbed outright. At first the bereaved mother 
 had been stabbed to her soul to see another child 
 wearing her beloved's clothes. But now her per- 
 sonal loss was swallowed up in a great pity, so 
 that she was glad that she was not hoarding her 
 child's finery. 
 
 At first the singing only wrought upon her 
 feelings, but when she began to control them 
 somewhat, it came to her that Carol really had a 
 beautiful voice — birdlike in quality — and that it 
 might be cultivated and thus lift the mountain 
 waif out of such poverty. 
 
The Entertainment 281 
 
 " That voice should be cultivated," she said to 
 herself. 
 
 Until this raoment she had thought of Carol as 
 an ordinary little mountain girl, but now it came 
 to her that the child had the divine spark of 
 genius. Not only was there exquisite quality to 
 Carol's voice, but there was feeling in her soul. 
 While singing, understanding, not a child's but a 
 woman's, was vouchsafed her, so that she had 
 something for every soul present. To the joyful 
 she gave added joy ; to the sorrowing, she not only 
 shared their sorrow, but lightened their burden 
 with hope. At least this was the light with 
 which Mrs. Morton heard her sing. 
 
 "She's wonderful. How did it ever come to 
 her ? " Mrs. Morton wondered, and fearful that 
 her own emotions were playing her false, she 
 tried her best to judge Carol in a purely critical 
 spirit. She knew herself to be a good judge of 
 music, and was surprised when even in a quieter 
 mood her head as well as her heart approved her 
 first decision. 
 
 *' She's well named. Hereafter, I'll always 
 think of her as ' my little singing girl, Carol.' I 
 feel as if I had made a great discovery. I must 
 give the child a chance," Mrs. Morton promised 
 herself. 
 
 Maggie, too, leaned far forward in her seat, 
 and her eyes grew suspiciously moist. Carol's 
 singing carried her thoughts to a grave made 
 
282 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 many years before down in Florida, but her loss 
 was not as keen as Mrs. Morton's, for Beth had 
 come into her own life to fill the void. 
 
 " De good Lawd bless de chile," Maggie prayed 
 to herself for Carol. " Little missy done know 
 aftah all what she's 'bout, bein' so good to dat 
 gal. She ain't no low white trash, even if her 
 paw am, an' I'll have to make it up to her some 
 way for my unrighteous scorn, dat's what," and 
 Maggie surreptitiously wiped a tear from the 
 corner of her eye. 
 
 These two were not the only ones who had 
 their feelings stirred, for other eyes were tear 
 dimmed, and the silence attested that Carol had 
 gained the interest of all. 
 
 On and on she sang, for 'Liz'beth was unusually 
 hard to be pacified, and as she sang, a bird — one 
 not native to the region, — swerved in its course 
 and made for a dogwood tree to the left of the 
 stage. And as it lighted, it burst into song as if 
 trying to outrival the human singer. 
 
 In an instant Beth's attention was riveted on 
 the bird's song. From her place behind the cur- 
 tain she could not catch a glimpse of the feath- 
 ered songster, but she did not need to see, to 
 know that the bird was her own escaped mock- 
 ing-bird. No other bird in the world, unless it 
 were Don, could sing like that except Dick. 
 
 The bird's trilling only lasted a moment, and 
 then away flew Dick, joyful in freedom. But 
 
The Entertainment 283 
 
 while he was present Carol had broken off in her 
 singing, and Beth feared the mountain girl might 
 have recognized the intruder and been disturbed 
 thereby. She waited in breathless silence to see 
 what Carol would do. 
 
 Many in the audience had seen the bird fly 
 away, nevertheless, a moment afterward doubted 
 its being gone, notwithstanding there was no 
 visible sign of its whereabouts. Search as they 
 did, it was not to be seen, although they thought 
 they heard it, for the trill had been taken up and 
 a repetition of the bird's first outburst was given, 
 and then a repetition with variations. 
 
 Some believed the mocking-bird must be hid- 
 ing behind the curtains for the melody unmistak- 
 ably came from the stage. This was the solution 
 that Maggie momentarily accepted, until she 
 made a discovery that brought her to her feet, 
 forgetful of everything but the astonishing truth. 
 
 " I clah to goodness if it ain't Carol, an' not de 
 mockin'-bird come back," she cried. " Well it 
 beats all, but I reckon dat bird'd be 'ceived hisself 
 if he heard her." She sank back to her seat 
 completely conquered. Beth would nevermore 
 have trouble in getting Maggie to do deeds of 
 kindness for Carol. 
 
 The truth gradually forced itself into other 
 minds besides Maggie's, and when there was no 
 doubt whence came the birdlike song, the audi- 
 ence broke into tumultuous applause. 
 
284 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Hastily Carol arose. "Don't, don't," she 
 called, holding up a warning hand. " You're 
 wakin' 'Liz'beth," and then again began singing 
 to quiet her charge. 
 
 More because they wished to hear the song 
 than because of her warning, the noise died down, 
 but in a moment 'Liz'beth was again asleep, 
 whereupon Carol turned to leave the stage. Her 
 admirers were ready to break into applause once 
 more, had not Carol, at the first clap of hands, 
 faced them defiantly. 
 
 " Hush," she cautioned. " She's sleepin', an' 
 hit's — it's bad to waken her. I'm goin' to take 
 her in to maw," and away she started. 
 
 Beth and Harvey began pulling on the curtain 
 to draw it together. Nervousness may have 
 caused them to pull too vigorously, for the rope 
 suddenly gave way and down fell the curtains 
 over them both. In a moment they had twisted 
 themselves out, but were embarrassed to receive 
 a round of applause. The audience needed some 
 outlet for their feelings. 
 
 Beth, however, was too delighted with the suc- 
 cess of Carol's singing to be uncomfortable long 
 over anything, and catching her father's eye, she 
 called : 
 
 " Papa, come up and fix it for us." 
 
 Mr. Davenport hastened to the platform. From 
 his own state of mind, he knew there could be no 
 
The Entertainment 285 
 
 more auspicious moment than the present in 
 which to open people's purse strings. 
 
 " I was not asked to speak," he began facing 
 the audience, " but you all know the object of 
 this entertainment, and that we're to give what- 
 ever we wish. It just occurred to me that while 
 I'm fixing the curtain, the children had better 
 take up a contribution," and to set a good ex- 
 ample, he gave Beth a bill. 
 
 " For Carol," he said. 
 
 So the girls took the little baskets tied in green 
 that they had in readiness for the purpose, and 
 Marian and Julia went to the back benches while 
 Beth began at the front. 
 
 The very first person that Beth came to was 
 Maggie. Not expecting any donation from her 
 mammy, she started to pass her by. Maggie 
 jumped to her feet as quickly as her " rheumat- 
 ics " would permit. 
 
 " See here, honey chile," she called, and others 
 around listened. " I'm pr'ared to give. I done 
 axed Miss Mary to 'vance me some money dis 
 mornin' for dis very purpose." 
 
 ^' But Maggie," began Beth undecided if it 
 were fair to receive a contribution from a work- 
 ing woman. 
 
 " Don't hes'tate, honey. De good book says 
 as how de widow's mite wuz befo 's all. I've 
 no need ob de money, an' dey has," and 
 
286 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 with the words she dropped a bill into the 
 basket. 
 
 " But Maggie, this is more than a mite," cried 
 Beth. 
 
 Her colored mammy drew herself up and pride 
 flashed from her eyes. 
 
 *' Go 'long, honey. Dat widow's mite wuz 
 only fig'er ob speech wid me. I done always 
 worked for de quality." ' 
 
 Then she reseated herself with a look of con- 
 scious well doing. Her words brought smiles to 
 faces all around, while some nodded their ap- 
 proval at her. But better still her example 
 proved contagious, and bills and silver rapidly 
 filled Beth's basket. The other two girls, too, 
 fared almost as well. 
 
 " Missy Beth," said Gustus, running to meet her 
 as she was carrjung her filled basket back to the 
 platform, " I seen Maggie givin', an' I wants to 
 giv' too. Here's a quartah massa gav' me extra 
 las' week for bein' a good boy, he said, an' I did 
 'low I'd buy somethin' to take to camp wid us, 
 but I'd ruther they had it now." 
 
 Again Beth hesitated. She knew that Gustus 
 sent most of his ^vages home, and that all extras 
 were very precious to him, so she said : 
 
 " You do your share by taking part, Gustus." 
 
 " Please, Miss}^ Beth, take de money too for it 
 makes me feel good inside to give it." 
 
 She flashed her approval in a smile as the 
 
The Entertainment 287 
 
 quarter jingled down among the other coins. She, 
 herself, felt " good inside " and she added • 
 
 " I'm very proud of you, Gustus." 
 
 This made him so happy that he thrust his 
 hands way down in his pockets, and shujffled his 
 feet around in an irresistible manner. 
 
 " I kin do figgers to-day dat'll make dem [N'orth- 
 erners' eyes open," he whispered. " I feel jes' 
 like dancin' forebber an' ebber." 
 
 The money was placed in Mr. Davenport's 
 keeping. 
 
 " I know we've taken up more than any of us 
 expected," said Marian. " We'll have to do ex- 
 tra well now." 
 
 *' Somebody ought to go out in front and thank 
 them for their goodness. I'll get Harvey," pro- 
 posed Beth. 
 
 " Go yourself," said her father. " You helped 
 collect, and it was your idea having the enter- 
 tainment." 
 
 Again her heart began thumping wildly, but 
 she resolutely walked to the front of the stage, 
 and curtsied. 
 
 " I — we want to thank you," her voice trem- 
 bled, but in a moment she gained confidence so 
 that her words rang clear, " At first I was ter- 
 ribly scared for fear we could not please you, 
 but you have given so much money and liked 
 Carol so well that it will help us to do our best. 
 We thank you very, very much." 
 
288 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Her unaffectedness pleased them and they 
 clapped for her. Again she curtsied and then 
 retired hurriedly. 
 
 By this time repairs were finished and the en- 
 tertainment proceeded without another flaw. 
 Each one of the performers, even to the dogs, did 
 themselves great credit, and received merited 
 praise. 
 
 One event of the day that especially pleased 
 Beth occurred at the very end of the perform- 
 ance. Some one called for Carol, and immediately 
 all the audience began calling for her. At first 
 she was so bashful that Beth could not make her 
 acknowledge the ovation, but finally they suc- 
 ceeded in getting her before the curtain where 
 she bowed awkwardly, for without 'Liz'beth she 
 was self-conscious. 
 
 " Another bird song from Carol of Carolina," 
 called Mrs. Morton and the words were taken up 
 by many others. 
 
 Whereupon Carol rushed in great confusion 
 back of the curtains, but her flight only made 
 them more vociferous in their demands. 
 
 " You must sing," Beth commanded. 
 
 " I hain't 'Liz'beth here to think 'bout. I can't 
 do hit," she answered so frightened that she 
 could have cried.- 
 
 " Sing for Mrs. Morton and me," Beth implored. 
 " It'll spoil everything if you don't sing. Don't 
 
The Entertainment 289 
 
 think about yourself, just think how much we 
 want you to sing." 
 
 Only a moment longer did Carol hesitate. 
 **I'll do hit fer yer," she muttered through 
 clenched teeth. She was evidently still very 
 much scared, but Beth hoped her grit would 
 help her out, and fearing also that her nerve 
 might fail if she waited another moment, Beth 
 saw that the curtains were drawn back, leaving 
 Carol in the centre of the stage alone. 
 
 For a moment she stood looking around help- 
 lessly. The clamor subsided, but the stillness 
 so frightened her that she was tempted to fly. 
 Beth read her thoughts. 
 
 "Do sing," she whispered across to Carol. 
 " Pretend you're Dick come back, and sing like 
 he did for me. If you do, I'll never mind again 
 that you let him go." 
 
 The appeal stilled Carol's fright, and she began 
 thinking of the orange groves in Florida that 
 Beth had told her about. She imagined that a 
 new moon was rising over the gleaming river 
 that flowed softly on one side of the grove. She 
 saw two birds side by side on a tree and she 
 pictured to herself how they would talk together 
 in song. With the scene very real in her own 
 mind, she began her song. At first it was very 
 low and sweet, as if the birds feared some in- 
 truder might be near by to interrupt their love- 
 
290 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 making, but, when the stillness was undisturbed 
 except by themselves, thej gained confidence, 
 which the little singer expressed by richer, fuller, 
 higher tones. 
 
 Carol brought her wondrous trilling to an end 
 amid a storm of applause, but the sweetest praise 
 to her was when Beth grabbed her and kissed 
 her. 
 
 " I'm proud of you, Carol," she cried. " I had 
 no idea you could do so well. It's been a grand 
 success, and ' Carol of Carolina,' as Mrs. Morton 
 called you, deserves the greatest credit. Hurrah 
 for Carol of Carolina ! " 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 Camping 
 
 One bright morning in early June, Beth arose 
 a little after daylight. The most desired wish 
 of her soul was about to be fulfilled. The 
 Davenports were going camping. 
 
 Mr. Davenport and Gustus were to drive the 
 five miles to Melrose with a wagon load of bag- 
 gage and provisions. Harvey and the girls were 
 to go up on the morning train, while Mrs. Daven- 
 port and Maggie were to wait until the following 
 morning, when the campers hoped to have every- 
 thing in fine running order. 
 
 Even before the family breakfasted, they be- 
 gan loading the wagon, and by the time Mr. 
 Davenport was ready to start, it seemed impos- 
 sible to pile on anything more. 
 
 " Mamma says we must take these blankets," 
 cried Beth, rushing out breathlessly, almost lost 
 behind the load she carried. " It'll be colder up 
 there than here." 
 
 By rearranging the load, the necessary room 
 was secured. Then Maggie appeared with an 
 enormous hamper. 
 
 " Hav' yo' done disrec'lected dis ? " she de- 
 manded. " Yo'd starve sho' dis noon anyways 
 
294 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 if all dese goodies were left 'hind. "Why, Miss 
 Marian, Missy Beth, Miss Julie an' me worked all 
 day yesterday makin' pies an' cakes an' cookin' 
 chicken an' boilin' ham, 'sides all de fruits an' 
 jellies. De question now am, whar's it to go ? " 
 
 Gustus' eyes rolled tragically. " Dem goodies 
 sho' got to go." 
 
 " Hump," muttered Maggie. " Yo's sech a pig, 
 yo'd walk on yo'r hands, I reckon, 'fore yo'd see 
 any thin' good to eat left 'hind." 
 
 Finally the hamper was wedged in front, but 
 in consequence Gustus had to let his feet hang 
 over the side of the wagon. 
 
 " We'd better start before you try to load any- 
 thing more on," said Mr. Davenport, suiting the 
 action to his words. 
 
 At this instant Duke bounded around the cor- 
 ner of the house in pursuit of the wagon. 
 
 "Call him back, Beth," Mr. Davenport com- 
 manded. 
 
 *' Oh, papa, let him go to camp with you," she 
 begged, running down the road. 
 
 " But we decided to leave him home to protect 
 the house." 
 
 " "Watch will do as well. I tied him up in the 
 barn to make sure he wouldn't follow." 
 
 Mr. Davenport smiled over her artlessness. 
 "But you left Duke loose so he would follow. 
 Well, as you want him so much, he might as well 
 go." 
 
Camping 295 
 
 " Oh, goody, goody, goody," she cried, dancing 
 up and down on the pine needles. " Don't you 
 let him get lost, Gustus. It would break my 
 heart to lose him." 
 
 After this parting injunction, she went down 
 to see if Carol was ready, for it had been planned 
 that she should spend a few days at camp. Beth 
 found Carol unexpectedly downcast. 
 
 " The gal to look after 'Liz'beth hain't cum," 
 she announced with a catch in her voice. "If 
 she don't cum soon, I'll have to stay hum." 
 
 " Oh, well, then you can come on the train 
 with mamma and Maggie." 
 
 Carol's gloom did not lighten. " But I wants 
 to go to-day. I could help a powerful sight." 
 
 She struggled to keep the tears back, but felt 
 so badly that she sobbed aloud. Beth was des- 
 perate. She had some things to attend to at the 
 house and had no time to comfort Carol, even if 
 she had known how. 
 
 " Please, please don't cry. I must go, and it 
 makes me unhappy to have you feel so badly." 
 
 "I'll try not to cry," promised Carol, strug- 
 gling harder than ever to swallow her sobs, and 
 hugging poor 'Liz'beth close in her arms. 
 
 " The girl may come. If she does, meet us at 
 the train," called back Beth as she started up the 
 hill. 
 
 Even at the house she thought continually about 
 Carol's disappointment. Finally when they went 
 
296 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 down to the train, she watched anxiously in hopes 
 that Carol might appear. 
 
 Impatient as Beth was to be at camp, she was 
 actually sorry to have the train on time, for no 
 Carol had come. 
 
 "It's a shame about Carol," she said, when 
 seated in the car beside Harvey, and a picture of 
 her friend in tears as she had left her, rose to her 
 mind. " I do hope she can come up to-morrow. 
 I don't wonder she feels badly. I'd have cried 
 my eyes out, too, if I'd been in her place." 
 
 Only for a moment, however, did Carol's dis- 
 appointment affect Beth's spirits. She was too 
 bubbling over Tvith the idea of camp life to be 
 long dispirited by anything. 
 
 " We're going camping," she confided to the 
 conductor when he came to collect their fare. 
 " We want to get off by the water tank at Mel- 
 rose. Will you surely let us know when we get 
 there ? " 
 
 He smiled at her eagerness. " Yes, indeed," 
 he answered. 
 
 By this time the engine was putting on extra 
 steam to puff laboriously up the steep mountain 
 grade. 
 
 Beth looked troubled. " It's an awful pull for 
 Rueur, and he may balk. Anyway some of the 
 things will spill out, and, if they don't, our cakes 
 and pies and things will all get jumbled to- 
 gether." 
 
Camping 297 
 
 " I never knew you to be such a croaker," called 
 Marian from the seat ahead. " Do be quiet and 
 look at the scenery " 
 
 Beth did not know which side of the car to 
 choose. On either side were sheer ravines and 
 rugged rocks, while backward lay the peaceful 
 valley. Every tree and bush was clothed in most 
 luxuriant green besides which were many ex- 
 quisite wild flowers. 
 
 ]N"ot for long did Beth enjoy the grandeur of 
 the scenery in quiet. From what her father had 
 said of the distance, she thought they should be 
 Hearing Melrose. 
 
 " Supposing they don't stop at the water tank 
 to-day ? " But at that moment she saw the con- 
 ductor coming, and ran eagerly to meet him. 
 
 " Is it time for us to get off ? " 
 
 Again he smiled over her evident excitement. 
 "We'll be at Melrose in a minute now. You'd 
 better be careful up here in the mountains," he 
 continued, as she skipped along by him toward 
 the door. " If I were in your place I'd never 
 leave camp without a pistol. I do hope you can 
 shoot." 
 
 Her eyes grew very big. " Why do I need a 
 pistol ? " 
 
 He shook his head, while his face appeared very 
 solemn. " The mountains are full of wild beasts, 
 and there are robbers — awful bad ones — up here. 
 They'll be sure to capture such an adventurous 
 
298 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 girl as yourself. If there were time enough, I 
 could tell you yarns that would make your blood 
 curdle, and, as for that curly hair of yours, why 
 all the curl would come right out until it stood 
 straight on end." 
 
 Beth knew that he must be teasing her. Nev- 
 ertheless, she grew more and more round-eyed, 
 which incited the conductor to continue. 
 
 " Why, right near the spot where j^ou're going 
 to camp " 
 
 " He don't know where weVe to camp," Beth 
 reassured herself. 
 
 " The wild chief of the robbers is now in hid- 
 ing. My, but you'll be scared if you come across 
 him. I daren't say what he would do to you. 
 One thing is certain, though, you'd better keep 
 out of his way. I myself would be terribly scared 
 to meet him." 
 
 The children alighted a short distance above 
 the water tank, where the conductor took his 
 leave of Beth with the parting injunction : 
 
 " JS'ow keep your eyes open. I'd hate mightily 
 to hear of any harm befalling you, but if the 
 chief of the robbers should capture you, don't tell 
 him I warned you against him, or he might hold 
 up my train in revenge." 
 
 "He was only fooling, wasn't he? It does 
 look pretty wild up here, though," said Beth, as 
 the train steamed on up the mountain. She gazed 
 at the woods on either side of them appreljensively 
 
Camping 299 
 
 as if she feared the chief of the robbers raight be 
 lurking behind a tree at that very moment. 
 
 "I reckon he really meant what he said," an- 
 swered Harvey so seriously that both Beth and 
 Julia were half inclined to believe him, notwith- 
 standing his propensity to tease. 
 
 " I don't know about the wild animals," he con- 
 tinued, " but there are sure to be robbers bold up 
 in these wilds." 
 
 " Don't you believe him. You know how he 
 plagues us," put in Marian. 
 
 " Marian's scared, but don't be afraid, girls. I'll 
 protect you." i 
 
 They laughed good-naturedly over his lordly 1 
 
 manner, and walked on. 
 
 " Aren't these Eueur's tracks ? " cried Marian 
 at the road. " Yes, for here are Duke's, too." 
 
 " I can hardly wait to reach the falls. I'm the 
 only one who hasn't seen them," cried Beth, hur- ; 
 
 rying ahead of the others. ! 
 
 ''Ko use trying to leave us behind," called ' 
 
 Harvey. " You'll not know where to turn unless | 
 
 we're with you." \ 
 
 She settled down to the slower pace of her com- I 
 
 panions as she was losing breath anyway. The ; 
 
 road was not particularly steep, but she had done 
 no mountain climbing like the others. On either : 
 
 side were trees and bushes so dense that only \ 
 
 once was there an opening for any extended 
 view. i 
 
300 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " Hello ! " called Harvey, so unexpectedly that 
 Beth was startled. 
 
 " Hello," came in answer almost as an echo, 
 and then they heard Gustus say, " They're comin', 
 Massa James." 
 
 In a moment Duke bounded out from the 
 bushes to the right of them. 
 
 " Are we really there ? " demanded Beth, all 
 excited. 
 
 In answer, Harvey led the way through an 
 opening near where Duke had come out. Here 
 were Mr. Davenport and Gustus hard at work, 
 and with them was a mountaineer Mr. Davenport 
 had engaged to help lay the floor for the girls' 
 tent. Already it was half completed, and Gustus 
 had the wagon partly unloaded. 
 
 " Are you all ready for work ? " called Mr. 
 Davenport. 
 
 " Yes, only I'd like to see the falls first. They 
 must ^^ very near for they sound so loud," an- 
 swered Beth. 
 
 " You'll never settle down until you'^ve seen 
 them, so I reckon I'll have to take you to them, 
 and then we'll pitch in and work hard," added 
 Harvey to reassure Mr. Davenport that they did 
 not mean to be idlers. -^ 
 
 He started on tlie path toward the falls, and 
 then Beth skipped ahead of him. In a moment 
 she came to a stream bubbling down-hill over a 
 
o;^:^^^\^> 
 
Camping ^o\ 
 
 rocky bed, and then looked up to where she heard 
 the sound of falling water. 
 
 " Oh, oh, oh I " she cried, in rapture. 
 
 She had seen grander falls, but never any more 
 picturesque than these. There was no sheer de- 
 scent of water but it fell in foaming cascades 
 over ledges of rocks, while on either side of the 
 stream were trees and overhanging shrubs in 
 bloom that were mirrored wherever the water 
 had settled into quietness. Beth caught glimpses 
 of luxuriant ferns and wild flowers under this 
 tangled growth. 
 
 "Are you satisfied now that youVe seen 
 them ? " asked Harvey, after waiting a moment 
 for her to speak. 
 
 " Satisfied ? " repeated Beth. " Well, I should 
 say so. I could stand here all day watching 
 the " 
 
 " Stand here all day indeed," he interrupted. 
 " Well, you'll do nothing of the sort. We must 
 get to work right away." 
 
 " That's so," she assented, turning back with 
 less reluctance because of her great desire to help 
 toward the settlement of their camp. 
 
 " Harvey," said Mr. Davenport, as they re- 
 turned, " take that extra axe and help Gustus 
 chop down some young spruce trees for the beds." 
 
 " And what shall I do ? " asked Beth. 
 
 " You can help Marian and Julia in gathering 
 
302 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 wood. We need a lot both for a bonfire to-night 
 and for our coffee this noon." 
 
 Such work was play to the children, and time 
 sped so quickly that they were all surprised when 
 Mr. Davenport called : 
 
 " What time do you think it is, children ? " 
 
 " About eleven," answered Harvey. 
 
 " You're no true woodsman or vou'd know bet- 
 ter. Just look up at the sun and you'll see it's 
 past twelve." 
 
 " Well, the only way I'd have believed it is 
 because I'm so hungry," cried Beth. 
 
 " I'm ravenous myself," agreed her father. 
 " You girls spread out the lunch and we'll 
 make the coffee," he added, looking at the 
 boys. 
 
 Beth tore off the cover from the hamper. " It 
 don't look as if a thing was jumbled. Maggie 
 knows how to pack." 
 
 The table-cloth was spread on the ground as 
 there had been no time to build a table as planned 
 — that was to be part of the afternoon's labor, 
 and then the supplies from the hamper were 
 placed thereon in extravagant abundance. 
 
 The smoke from the fire curled upward and 
 soon the fragrant aroma of coffee announced that 
 their midday meal was ready. Whereupon they 
 all clustered around the feast down on the sweet 
 smelling pine needles. 
 
 Beth heaved a sigh of deep content. " It's so 
 
Camping 303 
 
 lovely to be here that it almost seems like a 
 dream." 
 
 " This chicken is betteh than any dream I 
 ebber knowed," announced Gustus, who with the 
 mountaineer had been given a helping by them- 
 selves. 
 
 Kever had a meal tasted better to any of them 
 than the one that noon. 
 
 " What would Maggie say if she saw how weVe 
 made things disappear ? " cried Marian, as she 
 arose. 
 
 "She'd immediately go to work and bake a 
 lot more goodies to bring up with them to-mor- 
 row," answered Beth. 
 
 Their afternoon's work proved very satisfac- 
 tory, and the beds of spruce especially pleased 
 Beth. 
 
 " I can hardly wait for night. They're the 
 grandest things to sleep on imaginable," she de- 
 clared. 
 
 " We are pretty fine, I think," agreed Harvey, 
 who had just returned with some milk he had 
 succeeded in getting down near the railroad track. 
 
 " Fine," sniffed Beth. " Why we're grand. I 
 wouldn't change this lovely camp for a palace." 
 
 Supper was served on the table that had been 
 fixed during the afternoon and all enjoyed the 
 meal thoroughly. 
 
 " Now for our bonfire," cried Harvey, as they 
 arose from the ground. 
 
304 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 A few moments afterward the flames shot up- 
 ward, and around the blaze the little party gath- 
 ered glad of its cheer. All were tired and clouds 
 were gathering which was somewhat dispirit- 
 ing. 
 
 '' It looks very much like rain. That's the 
 worst of camp life," said Mr. Davenport, who 
 had been fearful of the clouds for some time. 
 
 " Well, if it does rain, we'll go to bed, and the 
 sun will surely be shining in the morning," Beth 
 predicted, with her usual optimism. 
 
 She had expected to enjoy this part of the day 
 the most, but on the first night of camp life, she 
 found she was too tired and sleepy to care even 
 for stories. Other nights they could roast things 
 and have a merry time, but now, she thought, 
 bed would be nicer than any jollification. IN'ever- 
 theless she tried not to show how she felt. 
 
 Gustus, on his part, did not stifle his yawns in 
 the least. As he sat before the fire his head 
 nodded every once in a while, and then he would 
 come to himself with a great start. 
 
 " Gustus, you make me sleepy," cried Marian as 
 he stretched his arms above his head yawning 
 more loudly than ever. 
 
 "I — I — a — w — shurely can't help it. Miss 
 Marian. I nebber wuz so sleepy." 
 
 « We're all sleepy," said Mr. Davenport. " We 
 were up so early, and then we've worked pretty 
 hard. What do you say to turning in for the 
 
Camping 305 
 
 night and then we can get an early start in the 
 morning ? " 
 
 As he spoke some one felt a drop of rain, and 
 that settled the matter. Into the tents they went, 
 which was a wise move, for soon the drops fell 
 faster and settled into a fine " growing rain," as 
 Mr. Davenport called it. 
 
 " It's a 'sperience," said Beth as she undressed. 
 
 " Well I'm mighty glad it's not a wild down- 
 pour like we had on the night we were lost," an- 
 swered Julia. 
 
 Later when Beth had snuggled down in a par- 
 ticularly comfortable spot, she said, " It's lovely 
 to lie here so warm and snug and listen to the 
 rain. And the roar of the falls makes me " 
 
 *' Oh, do be quiet, Beth ; I want to sleep," cried 
 Marian. Julia's fair head was far down in the 
 pillow, and her regular breathing showed that she 
 was already asleep. 
 
 Beth had suddenly grown very wide awake. 
 Over and over in her mind recurred all that they 
 had done during the day, and then she thought 
 over all that she would like to do on the morrow. 
 She did not mind being wakeful. It was lovely 
 just to know that she was up on a great mountain 
 in the woods with beautiful falls roaring, roaring, 
 so very near, and the drip, drip of the rain was 
 nice too, even if the girls would not agree with 
 her in this. 
 
 But soon the poetry of the situation was spoiled 
 
3o6 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 for Beth by the rising wind. It made her think 
 of the robbers the conductor told her about. 
 
 Suppose they were somewhere near, particularly 
 that awful chief. She wouldn't like him to ap- 
 pear at their camp especially when she was the 
 only one awake. She'd like to call across to the 
 other tent to know if they were sleeping there, 
 only it would make them cross to be awakened, 
 and she felt very sure they were sleeping after 
 their hard work. 
 
 Another gust of wind made her draw the bed- 
 clothes up over her head and thus she lay slightly 
 trembling. Suddenly she remembered Duke 
 chained over in the *' storeroom " where the pro- 
 visions were. 
 
 " If I only had Duke here, I wouldn't be a mite 
 afraid," she thought. " Why didn't I let him 
 sleep at the foot of my bed ? I believe I'll get 
 him even now." 
 
 IN'o sooner had the idea entered her mind than 
 she arose, and, slipping a blanket around her, 
 started on her mission barefooted. 
 
 Outside she found that the rain had increased. 
 The darkness, too, was intense. She almost re- 
 pented her undertaking, but after having started 
 would not give up. She made a dash over in the 
 direction where she knew Duke was tied. Sud- 
 denly a sound made her stop under a tree and 
 lean up against the trunk weak with fright. Her 
 heart beat so wildlv that it almost suffocated her. 
 
Camping 307 
 
 Unmistakably some one was coming near in the 
 darkness. 
 
 The bonfire had been beaten out by the rain. 
 Kot a star was visible to give a ray of light. In 
 her fright, Beth knew the intruder must be one 
 of the robbers the conductor had told about. She 
 would have sneaked back to her father's tent to 
 waken him if she had not feared running into a 
 robber. In the darkness she could not distinguish 
 a single object, and it was possible that there 
 might be more than one robber around. 
 
 " I'm a goose," she told herself trying to be 
 calm. " Probably it's papa or Harvey or " 
 
 All at once Duke barked, and Beth was sure 
 that it was none of their party. A stranger alone 
 could thus excite him. She hoped his barking 
 would rouse the others, and that they would 
 come before the robber murdered her. 
 
 Rain-drops were leaking through the tree down 
 on her but getting wet was the least of her 
 troubles. She wanted to scream, but her throat 
 was parched, and she stood rooted to the spot in 
 speechless suspense. 
 
 Notwithstanding the dog's barking, the foot- 
 steps came nearer and nearer, and Duke grew 
 more and more excited. 
 
 " Hush, hush," Beth heard some one mutter. 
 The tones were not as fierce as a robber should 
 use, Beth thought, but probably they were trying 
 to be mild to pacify the dog. 
 
3o8 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " It didn't sound like a man at all, but then 
 robbers are very deceiving," she decided. Then 
 to her great surprise Duke quieted down in an 
 instant. 
 
 " He's fooled too," she thought, disappointed 
 not to have him show his usual sagacity. In fact 
 so disappointed was she that it restored her own 
 bravery. 
 
 *' Sic 'em, Duke. Go for them," she yelled. 
 
 The same instant a melancholy cry right above 
 her made her sink almost to the ground. 
 
 " Oo — 00 — oo," came the ghastly call the 
 second time, and Beth was so overcome with ter- 
 ror at the sound that she fled unmindful of what 
 she encountered only so that she could get away 
 from that weird voice. On she ran stumblingly, 
 and the first thing she knew she and some one 
 else had run into one another. 
 
 " Oh," almost sobbed Beth. 
 
 " Beth, Beth Davenport, hit's only me." 
 
 Beth did not see how Carol could be up in the 
 mountains although it was unmistakably her 
 voice. 
 
 " You're — you're sure it's you ? " she mur- 
 mured. 
 
 " Yes, yes, hit's me — Carol. What's the mat- 
 ter ? " 
 
 Assured that it really was Carol, Beth clung 
 to her almost as if she feared she grasped a spirit 
 that might vanish. 
 
Camping 309 
 
 " Did — you — hear — that awful sound up in the 
 tree ? There it is again. What is it, Carol ? " 
 
 " That ? " answered Carol reassuringly. " Don't 
 yer know a hoot owl when yer hear one ? " 
 
 Beth was thoroughly ashamed of her ground- 
 less terror. 
 
 " I'd have known if I hadn't been so fright- 
 ened thinking that you were a robber, Carol." 
 
 *' I wuz frightened 'bout yer," confessed Carol. 
 "I 'lowed that per'aps I'd gotten to the wrong 
 camp 'til I hearn Duke bark. An' when yer 
 sicked him on, I couldn't b'lieve hit could be yer, 
 but feared hit moight be a sperrit, an' that's why 
 I didn't call out." 
 
 " Come inside the tent," said Beth, beginning 
 to feel wet, and willing now that she had hu- 
 man companionship to forego Duke's presence. 
 
 "What's the matter? Who's there?" cried 
 Marian, sitting up in bed as the two girls entered. 
 
 " Carol's come." 
 
 *' Carol ? That's nice." 
 
 By Marian's tones, and the way she sank back 
 on the pillow, Beth knew she was only half 
 awake. Julia did not even stir. Beth wondered 
 why her call to Duke had not roused any one in 
 the other tent, but their being so tired, probably 
 accounted for it. 
 
 " How did you get here at this time of the 
 night?" Beth whispered, her curiosity increasing 
 the more she thought about the matter. 
 
310 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " I walked," quietly replied the mountain girl. 
 
 " Walked ? " repeated Beth, more and more 
 astonished. " Not in the dark and rain ? " It 
 seemed incredible to Beth. 
 
 Carol was shivering both with cold and ex- 
 citement. " Thar war no other way to cum, an' 
 so I jes' had to. I was sot to get here to-day, if 
 hit war possible. The gal didn't cum to mind 
 'Liz'beth 'til powerful late." 
 
 How any one, especially a mere girl like her- 
 self, dared make a trip alone after nightfall, up a, 
 mountain that might be robber infested, was 
 more than Beth could understand. She was 
 most anxious to hear every detail of the romantic 
 journey, but her consideration of others made her 
 check her curiosity. 
 
 " You must be tired and wet," she said, half 
 hoping she might be contradicted. 
 
 " My clothes be pretty well soaked," agreed 
 Carol. 
 
 " You must get right undressed then. There's 
 a place here beside me for you to sleep. Then 
 you can tell me all that happened." 
 
 " I lost my bundle — thar warn't much in hit as 
 I didn't want to tote much — jes' some night 
 things. But when 1 was powerful scared, I 
 dropped hit an' scooted." 
 
 This aroused Beth's interest more than ever, 
 but she held herself well in check. She fumbled 
 around in the dark until she felt her hamper. 
 
Camping 311 
 
 ^' Here's a night-dress of mine. Jump into it as 
 fast as ever you can, for I'm just dying to know 
 what scared you." 
 
 " Whar shall I hang my clothes ? " 
 
 ^' We have a line up at the other end of the 
 tent, but don't stop to find it. Drop them on 
 the floor anywhere." 
 
 Bed was so inviting, and Beth was evidently 
 so anxious to have her beside her that Carol did 
 as told, and in a moment more, was snuggling 
 down under the most comfortable blanket, be- 
 neath which it had never been her lot to sleep. 
 
 " l!^ow, Carol, tell me what scared you. Begin 
 from the first." 
 
 Still Carol hesitated. 
 
 " Do go on," Beth whispered. 
 
 " Well, even after hit grew dark I never onct 
 thought of bein' scared. I'm used to goin' 'round 
 by myself, an' I played I was a bird an' sang an' 
 sang. I couldn't fly like a bird, but hit didn't 
 seem half so far by pretendin' 'though hit war 
 powerful dark." 
 
 " Well I should say so," assented Beth. " I 
 stubbed my own toes before I ran into you. I 
 don't see how you dared come up alone." 
 
 "I wanted to cum so powerful much that's 
 why. And not 'til I got up by the railroad track 
 below here, did I have anythin' to really an' 
 truly scare me. Then I got right in 'mong some 
 men 'fore I knowed any was thar. The rain had 
 
312 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 most beaten out their fire an' most had gone in 
 the tent — they have a camp thar, an' I reckon 
 they'd all been drinkin' an' some had drunk too 
 much to know 'nough to get out of the rain. 
 An' I ran right into one of 'em, an' he tried to 
 grab me, but I jes' took to my heels an' scooted." 
 
 " And was it then that you dropped your 
 bundle ? " 
 
 " JSTo, not 'til I hearn some one chasin' me. I 
 dodged into the bushes an' I wuz that scared 
 that I dropped my bundle, an' wouldn't stop to 
 hunt hit." 
 
 " Did they catch you ? " 
 
 " No, hit wuz so dark the man couldn't keep 
 track of me, but I saw him agin." 
 
 " You did ? My, you must have been terribly 
 frightened. How did it happen ? " 
 
 "I — I," stammered Carol, dreading to tell 
 more, but seeing no way of evading Beth's ques- 
 tioning. " I 'most stumbled over him when I 
 cum out from the bushes. For a moment, I 
 'lowed that he wuz dead, but I found that he war 
 only drunk." 
 
 Beth marveled more and more over Carol's 
 pluck. 
 
 " Carol, what " 
 
 "Beth, stop talking or I'll have papa make 
 you," threatened Marian, who had been restless 
 for a few minutes past. 
 
 " All right, Marian. Good-night, Carol," 
 
Camping 313 
 
 " Good-night," murmured the mountain girl, 
 but sleep would not come to relieve her mind. 
 
 " I'm moighty glad I didn't have to tell her," 
 she thought, stifling her sobs. " I'd hate dreadful 
 fer her to know. Supposin' I'd have had to say 
 
 to her, ' The drunken man was my ' " the last 
 
 word was smothered by her tears. 
 
 Even when sleep finally came, it brought little 
 rest to her mind. She dreamed that the man in 
 the road had followed her to camp. She even 
 thought she heard Duke barking, but that did 
 not drive the man away. Then Carol cried out 
 in her sleep : 
 
 '' Go 'way. Don't come here an' make me 
 wish myself dead." 
 
 So piercing was her cry that it not only 
 wakened the girls, but Mr. Davenport and 
 Harvey wakened also. 
 
 "What's the matter?" called Mr. Daven- 
 port. 
 
 Carol rubbed her eyes to make sure that she 
 was only dreaming. 
 
 "I — I reckon I had the nio^htmare 'thouo^h I 
 did think Duke really barked," she answered. 
 
 Mr. Davenport said no word to the girls, but 
 he, too, thought Duke had barked, and that some 
 one was moving near the tents. In fact to 
 reassure himself that no intruder was about, 
 he got up and looked outside. The storm 
 was over and a full sized moon was shining clear. 
 
3H ^ Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Perfect quiet now reigned, and Mr. Davenport 
 decided that his hearty supper had given him 
 bad dreams, and that a search would not only be 
 useless, but foolish. 
 
 " Everything's all right," he called across to 
 the girls. ^' So go to sleep as I'm going to do." 
 
 Afterward Carol was troubled with no more 
 dreams, although in fact her nightmare had more 
 foundation than any of them thought. Still 
 the camp slept on undisturbed until morning. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 Duke is Missing 
 
 " Girls, the coffee's steaming, and we have 
 breakfast all ready. You must hurry if you're 
 going to eat with us." These were the first 
 words thac greeted Beth in the morning. 
 
 She turned and saw Carol sitting up in bed. 
 
 '' I'd have been up an age an' gotten breakfast 
 fer you uns, but my clothes ain't whar I left 'em. 
 They're gone sure." 
 
 '' Gone ? " repeated Beth, rubbing her eyes. 
 
 " Yes. Yer know I left 'em on the floor like 
 yer said, an' yer kin see they hain't thar now." 
 
 Only for a moment was Beth troubled. To 
 Carol's surprise, she smiled. It came to her 
 that Harvey was playing a joke on them. She 
 sprang out of bed and rushed to the opening of 
 the tent. 
 
 " Harvey, Harvey ! " she called, " we want to 
 get up, so please bring back Carol's clothes ! " 
 
 " Hello. You're awake, are you ? " he an- 
 swered. 
 
 ^'JSTow Harvey, do bring Carol's clothes right 
 back." 
 
 " Carol's clothes," he repeated. " What are 
 you talking about ? " 
 
318 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 " Now, Harvey, stop fooling, and bring them 
 back. We must get dressed." 
 
 " I don't know anything about her clothes." 
 He spoke so decidedly that Beth believed him, 
 but she still thought there must be some trick 
 about the clothes being gone. She hardly be- 
 lieved her father would indulge in such a joke, 
 but did not know what effect camp life might 
 have on him so she called : 
 
 " Papa, do you know where Carol's clothes 
 are ? " 
 
 Keassured that he knew nothing about them, 
 Beth accused Gustus of being the mischief-maker 
 which he emphatically denied. 
 
 " They can't be gone," declared Beth to Carol. 
 " Where did you put them ? 
 
 "You must be mistaken," she added when 
 Carol pointed to the floor near the edge of the 
 tent. " Maybe you put them on the bed and 
 they've fallen underneath." But, search as she 
 did, the missing articles were nowhere to be 
 found. 
 
 The other girls looked to see if any of their be- 
 longings were gone, but not a single article was 
 missing except the clothing of Carol. 
 
 " They must have reached in an' jes' grabbed 
 my things, an' maybe they were scared 'way 
 when I cried out," said Carol. 
 
 " It's a perfect shame, Carol," Beth said when 
 she had to admit that the clothes had been stolen. 
 
Duke is Missing 319 
 
 "If anything had to be taken, it should have 
 been some of our things instead of yours. You're 
 our visitor, you know, and I was to blame for 
 telling you to drop them on the floor." 
 
 " Yer didn't know," answered Carol, dispirit- 
 edly. She was greatly depressed, but it was 
 caused more by a fear that had entered her mind 
 than by the loss she had sustained. Not for the 
 world would she voice her fear, and she tried not 
 to think of it even. 
 
 " What can Carol wear ? " demanded Julia. 
 
 " She can wear some of my things," answered 
 Beth. " They'll be a little large, but it'll be bet- 
 ter than staying in bed." 
 
 All of Beth's clothes proved vastly too large 
 for Carol, nevertheless she arrayed herself in 
 them without a murmur. 
 
 " You are a sight," said Beth, laughingly. 
 
 Carol felt the tears which she had been trying 
 to choke down for some time rising, but Beth's 
 thoughtless raillery made her lose control for a 
 moment. 
 
 " Why, Carol, don't you know I'm only jok- 
 ing ? " Beth whispered contritely, not wishing the 
 girls to see Carol in tears. 
 
 Carol stifled her sobs. " I — I know hit an' hit 
 — it ain't what yer said. No " 
 
 " Girls, you must hurry," called Mr. Daven- 
 port. " Breakfast is all on the table, and Harvey 
 and 1 can't wait another moment." 
 
320 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 ^' I — I don't like to have 'em see me," said 
 Carol still with a catch in her voice. 
 
 " Don't you mind, Carol. I'll go out and 
 make it all right, and then you come when I 
 call." 
 
 Marion and Julia had gone out and now Beth 
 skipped out leaving Carol alone. She sank down 
 on the edge of the bed covering her face with 
 her hands. 
 
 " She thinks hit's the clothes I mind," she 
 moaned to herself. " But hit's worse to 'low as 
 how yer own paw is " 
 
 " Come on, Carol," Beth called joyously. 
 " They say they'll be glad to see you, no matter 
 what you wear." 
 
 Carol rose and brushed the tears away, and 
 started out obediently. She slipped into the va- 
 cant place at the table reserved for her, and 
 Gustus, alone, outwardly noted her queer appear- 
 ance. He was waiting on table and started to 
 giggle, but a shake of the head from Beth turned 
 the giggle into a cough. 
 
 " He, he — ho — I — I must done taken cole las' 
 night," he muttered. 
 
 " Well, Carol, we're sorry, very sorry, that 
 your visit has started so badly, but we'll make up 
 your loss to you, and j^ou must enjoy yourself 
 immensely all the rest of the time you are with 
 us," said Mr. Davenport kindly, as he passed a 
 heaping plate her way. 
 
Duke is Missing 321 
 
 " Papa, who do you suppose took the things ? " 
 asked Marian. 
 
 Carol choked over the mouthful she had just 
 taken, and her heart beat convulsively. 
 
 " Some sneak thief most probably." 
 
 The color came back to Carol's face, but she 
 had little appetite for her breakfast. 
 
 " I wish we could all go down to the train to 
 meet mamma and Maggie, but I suppose some- 
 body should watch camp especially after the rob- 
 bery," said Beth. " I'd trust Duke to watch 
 only being strange here he might run away." 
 
 " Let me stay with him," answered Carol. " I 
 wouldn't like to go down this way. Do let me 
 stay with him." 
 
 " Are you sure you don't mind, Carol ? " 
 
 " ]^o, I wants ter stav." 
 
 " Then the rest of us can all go. It'll be great 
 fun for us all to escort them up here, and you'll 
 not be long alone, Carol." 
 
 Carol assisted Gustus with the dishes, and then 
 helped the girls with the beds, after which it 
 ^vas time to go to the train. 
 
 " Take good care of Duke. I wouldn't have 
 him run away for the world," was Beth's parting 
 injunction. 
 
 Immediately after they were gone, Carol be- 
 gan busying herself in preparing things for the 
 noonday meal. First she fixed the table, and 
 then she took a pan of potatoes and with Duke 
 
322 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 beside her, sat down on a log to peel them. She 
 was not in the least lonely for her mind and 
 hands were both busy. 
 
 " Duke," she said, stopping a moment to pat his 
 head, "yer mistress is powerful good to us both, 
 an' we uns must do all we kin fer her. That's 
 why I'm workin' now, so's she'll be pleased when 
 they git back, fer then we'll all have time to visit, 
 an' I have somethin' I must tell her. I don't 
 know what to do. I want ter 'mount ter some- 
 thin' so's she'll be proud that she helped we uns, 
 but I'd hate awful to leave her." 
 
 Carol went back to peeling potatoes, while in 
 her eyes there came a far-off look for she was go- 
 ing over in her mind the visit Mrs. Morton had 
 made her the afternoon before, and all that had 
 been said. She had gone with Mrs. Morton down 
 to the spring and there they had sat upon the 
 very log where Beth had rested the day of her 
 first memorable visit. 
 
 '* Carol, my husband has telegraphed for me to 
 come home because he finds it impossible to join 
 me here as we had planned," began Mrs. Mor- 
 ton. 
 
 " I'm powerful sorry to have yer go. Yer've 
 been so good to me," murmured Carol. " I'll 
 hate never to see yer again, but perhaps yer'll be 
 comin' down this way agin." 
 
 " That's very probable, Carol, but I want to 
 take you North with me now." 
 
Duke is Missing 323 
 
 " Take me North ? " gasped Carol, not believing 
 her senses. 
 
 " After I heard you sing, I decided your voice 
 ought to be cultivated," continued Mrs. Morton. 
 " Then when word came from my husband, I 
 hurried right down here to ask you to go back 
 with me. We live out in the country, but near 
 the city, so that you could go in town for lessons, 
 and I could help you, for I used to be quite 
 musical myself." 
 
 " An' what could I ever do to pay yer back ? " 
 
 Mrs. Morton looked at her very kindly, liking 
 her more because her first thought was of grati- 
 tude. " There'll be many, many ways in which 
 you can repay me, Carol. In the first place, 
 your singing of itself will be a comfort to me, 
 for I have little ambition to keep up my own 
 playing, but with you there it will be different. 
 Since my baby died " — she had to pause a mo- 
 ment before going on, *' I never go any place, 
 and my husband and I are lonely. He'll like to 
 have you, I know. Your fondness for dogs will 
 appeal to him, and then he'll be glad to have me 
 take an interest in music again. He'll approve, 
 I am sure. It is partly for his sake that I am 
 asking you to go. Will you go ? " 
 
 " How could I leave 'Liz'beth ? " 
 
 Aofain Mrs. Morton liked her better for her 
 unselfish thought. " I am a rich woman, Carol, 
 that is, as far as money goes," she added. " My 
 
324 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 father left me all he had, as my mother died 
 before he did, and I had no brothers or sisters. 
 Then my husband has more than enough for 
 both of us, and, as you know, I have no children 
 now." 
 
 Carol's heart went out more and more to her 
 as she spoke. She realized more than ever what 
 Mrs. Morton's loss had been to her, but she could 
 think of no words of comfort. 
 
 " So," continued Mrs. Morton, after a moment, 
 " I can well afford to pay your mother for letting 
 me take you North with me, so that she can 
 hire some one to take your place." 
 
 " Hit don't seem as if we'd be doin' much fer 
 you alls in exchange." 
 
 Again Mrs. Morton smiled. "Do not worry 
 over that part. Besides what I've told you that 
 you are to do, I shall expect you to help in many 
 ways about my house. I want you to try it for 
 this coming winter, anyway, and then if my plan 
 does not work — well, I'll send 3^ou back home. 
 I^either of us will be worse off for the experi- 
 ence, I think. Will you go ? " 
 
 Carol looked wistful. " Hit's not that I hain't 
 thankful, but I'd like to talk hit — it ov^r ^vith 
 Beth Davenport first." 
 
 " You must decide at once, for I will have to 
 start home dav after to-morrow ; " but when she 
 saw the blank look on Carol's face, she added, 
 "or the day after that at the very latest." 
 
 ¥ 
 
Duke is Missing 325 
 
 "I couldn't go without seeing Beth Daven- 
 port," Carol cried. " But I'll go up to camp, an' 
 if she says to go, I'll cum back to-morrow, an' go 
 with yer." 
 
 Mrs. Morton was well satisfied with the ar- 
 rangement, for she felt very sure of the advice 
 Beth would give, so she went into the hut and 
 made all necessary arrangements with Carol's 
 mother. 
 
 And now as Carol sat on the log peeling 
 potatoes she, herself, knew, although not a word 
 had been said to Beth, that she was having her 
 parting visit with Beth, unless one thing pre- 
 vented. 
 
 " I'll have to tell Mrs. Morton 'bout las' night," 
 Carol thought. " An' maybe she'll not want me 
 then. Hit — it wouldn't be honorable not to tell. 
 Maybe she'll think me a thief, too," and tears 
 started afresh down Carol's pale cheeks. 
 
 A sudden growl from Dake made her start 
 and look around. Standing not far from her 
 was a man with his back toward her. She 
 jumped to her feet and the dish of potatoes fell 
 to the ground while some of them rolled out on 
 the dirt, but Carol was unmindful of this. 
 
 " Paw," she cried shrilly, " what yer doin' 
 here ? " 
 
 " Hello, Carol, I met the folks down below an' 
 they tole me yer were here alone," he answered 
 coolly. 
 
326 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 She hardly knew whether to believe him. She 
 feared he might have come with some evil intent 
 — not to her, but to the camp. 
 
 " Oh, paw ! " she cried, breaking into tears, 
 "only go 'way an' I'll never tell." 
 
 " What yer talkin* 'bout, Carol ? " he demanded, 
 seemingly both puzzled and angry. 
 
 " Yer know, paw. I mean 'bout yer bein' here 
 last night." 
 
 He eyed her suspiciously. " I warn't near here 
 last night — no sech thing." 
 
 " Paw, I wouldn't have believed hit myself if 
 I hadn't knowed that hit war yer drunk by yer 
 words when I stumbled over yer in the dark," 
 she responded solemnly. 
 
 He looked at her sullenly but made no answer. 
 
 *^ Paw, do yer deny that yer war down below 
 drunk las' night ? " she demanded after a moment 
 more of painful silence. 
 
 Still he made no reply, but he hung his head, 
 .which w^as suflBcient acknowledgment to Carol, 
 who had expected no denial, for she thought her 
 father a truthful man when sober. 
 
 " Paw, war hit 'cause yer war drunk that yer 
 
 cum here an' st " she could not bring herself 
 
 to say stole although the taking of her clothes was 
 a theft. So she substituted, " took my clothes ? " 
 
 Now he looked her full in the face. " Took 
 yer clothes ? " he repeated. " I don't know what 
 yer mean." 
 
Duke is Missing 327 
 
 She gazed at him intently to judge him by his 
 expression as well as by his words, and the 
 puzzled look on his face made her hopeful. 
 
 " Jes' after I met yer on the road las' night 
 some one cum here an' stole my clothes from the 
 tent thar an' I feared hit war yer. Didn't yer do 
 hit, paw ? Didn't yer do hit ? " she demanded, 
 feverishly. 
 
 Surging red blood arose in his face, but still his 
 eye did not waver before hers. " I know I've 
 sunk low, Carol, but not that low, an' hit's ter'ble 
 that my own chile thinks that mean of me. I 
 see that yer think me a thief." 
 
 The accusing look on her face gave way to 
 joy. She was so glad that she was almost hys- 
 terical. "I don't think hit now, paw. I don't 
 think hit now, an' a powerful bad feelin's gone 
 from here," she cried, placing her hand over her 
 heart. 
 
 " An' yer clothes war really took ? " he ques- 
 tioned. And when she nodded her head, he con- 
 tinued, " Some of them men down thar took 
 um then, Carol. They're a pretty bad lot, an' 
 even while I wuz drinkin' with um las' night I 
 wanted to get 'way from um. An' when yer ran 
 into me an' I knowed yer even though hit war 
 dark, I had a feelin' yer moight save me from um 
 an' so when yer run from me that's why I run 
 after yer. Why did yer run from me, Carol ? " j4^>- 
 
 Now it was her turn to hang her head. " At-*^ 
 
328 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 firs' I didn't know yer an' war scared, an' then, 
 an' then " she faltered. 
 
 " An' then yer knowed me an' war more 
 scared," and she could not deny his statement. 
 Whereupon he turned to Duke and began patting 
 his head as if seeking comfort from the dog. 
 Duke did not repel his advances, but seemed to 
 enjoy them. 
 
 " Is this the animal that's worth so much, 
 Carol ? " 
 
 She nodded at him through her tears. 
 
 " I'd like the money yer'd bring moightily," 
 muttered Samuel Cornwell, and added, " I cum 
 here, Carol, to bid yer good-bye. Yer'll not see 
 me fer a long time, an' maybe never, 'less I do 
 better." 
 
 *' Ye're goin' 'way, paw ! " she cried, remorse- 
 fully. 
 
 " Yes, so good-bye, Carol." 
 
 " Yer^ll go an' say good-bye to maw," she 
 begged. 
 
 He shook his head stubbornly. " 'Tain't best, 
 an' I won't do hit." 
 
 '' Paw " 
 
 " I'll not listen to no more," and away he 
 started toward the road. 
 
 Carol was half minded to follow, but, from past 
 experience, she knew that pleading was of no 
 avail, and so instead she turned and walked down 
 the path toward the falls, forgetting in her ex- 
 
Duke is Missing 329 
 
 citement that Duke had been left to her charge. 
 At first, he was inclined to go with her but when 
 he saw that she took no notice of him, he turned 
 and without her heeding his action in the least 
 started down the road after Samuel Cornwell. 
 The man, unheeding the dog, soon turned from 
 the main road into a path through the woods 
 that was a shorter cut down the mountain and 
 Duke followed stealthily in the path after 
 him. 
 
 Meantime, Carol at the falls seated herself on a 
 rock a short distance below them. 
 
 " I'm so glad he didn't take the things," she 
 kept thinking over and over to herself. 
 
 *' Thar's nothin' to keep me now from goin'," 
 she added presently. " I'll have to walk down 
 home this afternoon, but that'll be nothin'. 
 Hit's sayin' good-bye to Beth Davenport I mind. 
 I love Mrs. Morton, but not like I love Beth 
 Davenport, an' bein' with Mrs. Morton won't be 
 like bein' with Beth though Mrs. Morton's 
 powerful good to me, an' when I'm up North 
 with her, I'll do everythin' I kin fer her." 
 
 Then she began speculating as to what her 
 home in the IS'orth would be like, and she knew 
 vaguely that she would miss the mountains, for 
 Mrs. Morton had told her the country around her 
 home was mostly flat except for a few hills. 
 But it was of the singing lessons that she had 
 been promised that she thought the most. 
 
330 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Hardly did it seem credible that she, Carol, was 
 to have her voice cultivated. 
 
 Suddenly she remembered that it must be fully 
 time for the campers to be returning from the 
 train. She knew by the sun that it was growing 
 late. She arose hastily and hurried back to the 
 tents, where she first missed Duke. 
 
 " Duke, Duke ! Come, Duke ! " she called, wildly, 
 but no dog came bounding at the call. Over and 
 over she cried his name, even more frantically, 
 but without response. Whereupon she broke 
 down crying helplessly. 
 
 Suddenly it came to her that perhaps he had 
 only wandered down to meet Beth. Hastily she 
 ran out to the road and started down-hill to see. 
 
 In a moment, even before she could see any of 
 them because of the turn in the road, she heard 
 their voices. Carol felt as if she was suffocating. 
 She hurriedly rushed behind some bushes at the 
 side of the road that would perfectly screen her 
 from their sight. 
 
 " I can't see her if Duke's not with her. I 
 can't do hit," she sobbed to herself. " I'd never 
 dare see her agin if he's gone." 
 
 As they drew near so fearful was Carol that 
 she hardly dared peek out, but at last, holding her 
 breath for fear of being detected, she looked. 
 
 Duke was not with them. 
 
 Too overcome for tears, as they passed, she 
 sank down on the ground where she was hiding 
 
Duke is Missing 331 
 
 and an utterly hopeless look settled on her face. 
 Her father's words kept ringing in her ears. 
 
 " Is this the animal that's worth so much, 
 Carol ? " And then right afterward, " I'd like 
 the money yer'd bring moightily." 
 
 *' He's a thief after all. He's stolen the dog, 
 and Beth Davenport '11 hate me ever an' ever," 
 muttered Carol fiercely. 
 
 Her next impulse was to fly, as if she herself 
 were the thief who might be pursued. Assuring 
 herself that the campers were beyond sight, she 
 stole out on the road and fled panting down to- 
 ward the railroad. On and on she sped, neither 
 saving of her breath nor strength. Unreasoning 
 fear drove her on. 
 
 At the railroad she paused uncertain which 
 way to turn, and now her reasoning power re- 
 vived. 
 
 " If I but knowed which way paw went, I 
 moight overtake him an' get Duke back. He's a 
 big start of me, but I'd run 'til I dropped, but I 
 can't tell which way to go. Oh, God ! show me 
 how to go," she prayed. 
 
 "While she stood undecided which course to 
 pursue, the thought flashed into her mind, '' If I 
 go to the camp whar he was las' night, I may 
 find him thar." 
 
 So she hastened to the camp, which she had 
 no trouble in locating, as it was only across the 
 track by the roadside. 
 
332 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 No one, seemingly, was around the place, but 
 the flaps of the tent were tied back, which 
 allowed Carol to peek within. 
 
 The first object her eye beheld was her stolen 
 bundle of clothes on the floor. So surprised was 
 she at this discovery that she did not see a man 
 partly hidden under a blanket over in the far- 
 thest corner of the tent, but he was not sleeping, 
 and happened to have his face her way. 
 
 " What yer doin' here ? " he demanded gruffly, 
 sitting up. 
 
 Carol was so startled and frightened that she 
 simply stood still, gazing helplessly at the dark 
 tousled head with its sinister face. 
 
 " What yer up to, I say ? " he again demanded. 
 
 "I — I'm huntin' my paw," she finally stam- 
 mered. 
 
 " Who be yer paw ? " 
 
 " Sara'el Cornwell. Have yer seen him ? " 
 
 " No, he hain't been back here since las' night." 
 
 In one way the answer was a relief to Carol, 
 for if her father had not been near the place, he 
 could not have left the bundle there. But to 
 make more positive, she asked timidly : 
 
 " He — he didn't leave any thin' here, did he ? 
 Whose bundle is that ? " 
 
 The man scowled at her suspiciously. " Who 
 sent yer 'round here axin' questions ? " 
 
 " No one. I'm jes' huntin' my paw." 
 
 The answer quieted the man's suspicions, for 
 
Duke is Missing 333 
 
 he saw by her looks that Carol was unmistakably 
 Cornwell's daughter, as she said. 
 
 "That bundle's mine. Some friends up on the 
 mountain want me to keep hit fer um, but they 
 fooled me into thinkin' hit moight be worth 
 somethin', but hit ain't," he explained. " Don't 
 bother me no more. I wanter sleep," he added, 
 crossly. 
 
 Carol did not dare claim her belongings, for 
 the man looked so evil that she did not know 
 what he might do to her. To have proof posi- 
 tive that her father did not steal the bundle, 
 made her so thankful that in her present state of 
 mind, it made little difference if she never got 
 her clothes back. 
 
 Whichever way she decided to take, she knew 
 the railroad track was a more direct line than 
 any road, therefore hurried back that way. 
 
 " I'll go toward home," she decided, " an' if I 
 can't get Duke back, I'll go 'way with Mrs. 
 Morton, so 's Beth'll 'low that's why I ran 
 off." 
 
 Around a curve, down the track, she flew, 
 when suddenly just ahead of her were two men 
 working over a hand-car. 
 
 " Maybe they'll 'low me to ride with um," she 
 thought, and then she noted that they both wore 
 convict stripes. 
 
 " What kin I do ? " she wondered, with her 
 heart thumping wildly. " If I go on, they may 
 
334 ^ ilifatc/ of the Mountains 
 
 do somethin' to me, but if I doa't go on, I'll 
 never get Duke back." 
 
 She was greatly inclined to hide in the woods 
 at her right, and even started that way, until she 
 saw one of the convicts looking at her. 
 
 " Have yer seen anythin' of a man with a 
 dog ? " she faltered. 
 
 " No," he answered, and added to his com- 
 panion, " Thar, Bill, I reckon as how hit may hold 
 'til we get down the mountain," and on the car 
 they jumped. 
 
 Quickly Carol decided on heroic measures. 
 
 " Wait ! " she cried, running to them. 
 
 "They don't look as bad as the man in the 
 tent," she thought. " If they didn't wear stripes, 
 thar'd be nothin' to fear, an' I jes' must trust um 
 anyhow." 
 
 " Can't I ride with yer ? " she begged. " Please, 
 please let me ride. I'm in a ter'ble hurry," she 
 added. 
 
 Doubtfully, they eyed her, and she thought 
 they were escaping from justice, and feared her 
 betraying them. 
 
 " I — I won't tell," she murmured. 
 
 Her words were unmeaning to them, and one 
 of the convicts said : 
 
 " The brake's out of order, an' hit moight go 
 wrong agin, an' then no tellin' what'd happen." 
 
 " I'm not skeered, an' if yer'll only let me ride, 
 I'll not blame yer if I'm hurt." 
 
Duke is Missing 335 
 
 " All right then. Hop on, an' hole on tight. 
 In a few minutes, we'll be comin' to the stitfest 
 grade here'bouts." 
 
 In an instant she was up beside them and away 
 they started. Then it came to Carol that if she 
 did not see her father on the way that she should 
 get off at Tremont, but her convict companions 
 might object to her so doing. 
 
 " Will yer be skeered to let me off at Tre- 
 mont ? " This question formed in her mind, but 
 she was too fearful of their displeasure to say it 
 aloud. Over and over she tried to think of some 
 better way of putting it to them. 
 
 " We're only goin' as far as Tremont," an- 
 nounced one of the convicts, greatly to her 
 relief. 
 
 " They're not runnin' 'way then," she thought. 
 Now she remembered that a few of the best con- 
 victs were sometimes sent on errands. Up in the 
 mountains she had seen convicts working the 
 roads, and knew that those that were about to be 
 released were trusted. 
 
 By this time, the car was beginning to fly down 
 grade. Peering ahead, Carol saw that an exciting 
 ride lay before her. The road-bed wound along 
 the side of the mountain and sometimes there 
 was a wall of rock to the right, while to the left 
 was a sheer descent into the valley below. 
 Again the way had been cut through solid rock, 
 and they flew faster and faster every second. 
 
33^ -A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 "Put the brake on, Bill. Is hit goin* to 
 
 hor ? " 
 
 " Yes," but, even as the answer came, the brake 
 again refused to hold. 
 
 " Hit won't work. I can't nohow make hit 
 work," cried Bill, in terror. " I'll jes' have to let 
 her go." 
 
 " An' goin' may land us in hell. Hoi' on, gal, 
 fer yer life ! " 
 
 No such warning was needed by Carol. She 
 was holding on with all her might. Notwith- 
 standing they were going so fast that it took her 
 breath away, she was not particularly frightened. 
 Being so wrought up over the loss of Duke, made 
 her unmindful of what became of her. 
 
 " Maybe if Beth Davenport sees me dead, she'll 
 fergive me," she thought. 
 
 Yet to be dashed to pieces down among those 
 immense rocks seemed so horrible that she was 
 almost tempted to jump. 
 
 " Hoi' on ! " cried the convict again, perhaps 
 reading her thought. 
 
 The trees on either side now seemed like mere 
 shadows, and the landscape was all one blotted 
 mass at the speed they were flying. 
 
 " If hit don't jump the track, we'll come out 
 all right. The way's clear so's we won't run into 
 anythin'," cried Bill. 
 
 That instant they rounded a curve which re- 
 vealed in the path just ahead a man, while beside 
 
Duke is Missing 337 
 
 him trudged a dog, both unconscious of the 
 threatening danger. 
 
 Now for the first time Carol turned deathly 
 white. 
 
 " Paw, oh, paw ! " she yelled. 
 
 Duke bounded from the track, barking as he 
 did so. Fortunately, Samuel Corn well heeded 
 the warning. Without looking backward he 
 sprang after the dog just as the hand-car grazed 
 past. 
 
 "Weak from what had just happened Carol's 
 hold relaxed. Dangerously near the edge of the 
 car she swayed, but, just in time to save her from 
 falling over into the ravine, the convict caught 
 her. 
 
 " What yer doin' ? Hole on thar," he com- 
 manded gruffly. 
 
 Mechanically, she obeyed. Slowly an intense 
 desire to live possessed her mind. How terrible 
 she felt it would be not to live ; not to go back 
 for Duke. More and more with the wish for 
 life, she realized the danger of the situation. 
 Then suddenly a new peril confronted them. 
 
 " My God, ain't that a train comin' ? " yelled 
 Bill. 
 
 Around the curve, just below the down flying 
 hand-car, a freight train, side-tracked many hours 
 because of a hot-box, was now slowly puffing. 
 
 " We'll be smashed dead. Thar ain't no hope 
 fer us." 
 
338 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 But Bill, undaunted in the face of death, began 
 frantically fumbling again at the brake although 
 still fearing there was no possibility of making it 
 work. 
 
 The engineer of the freight, shuddering at 
 sight of the hand-car, had the presence of mind 
 to reverse his engine. 
 
 Samuel Cornwell, still somewhat dazed from 
 his own narrow escape, was horrified by the 
 tragedy threatening his child. 
 
 " Oh, God ! I've been a poor father, an' I don't 
 know as I ever can be a good un, but spare Carol, 
 an' I'll try," he prayed which was the first prayer 
 he had uttered for years. His child's peril made 
 many, many bitter regrets surge through his 
 mind strengthening him in his resolve to atone 
 for the past if he could. 
 
 Strange to say, as Carol faced death, bitter ac- 
 cusations against her father lessened. Her mind 
 even dwelt on him pityingly. 
 
 " If hit hadn't been f er licker, he'd 'ave been a 
 good paw," she thought, while a picture of her- 
 self as a little child on her father's lap flashed 
 into her mind. She had loved him dearly then. 
 
 " If he hadn't stole Duke, I'd love him still," 
 she sobbed to herself. "He didn't know how 
 wicked hit wuz. Maybe hit'll cum to him that 
 hit wuz wrong, an' he'll take Duke back even if 
 I don't live to ask hit. Anyway, I can't die not 
 fergivin' my paw. God make him do right." 
 
Duke is Missing 339 
 
 Tears blinded her sight, but she believed that 
 any instant might be her last. 
 
 '^ God bless "Liz'beth an' Beth Davenport an' 
 Mrs. Morton, an' all the rest," she prayed as an 
 earthly parting from her best beloved. 
 
 "Hit's workin' agin. The brake's sho'ly 
 workin'," cried Bill. 
 
 Hastily Carol brushed the tears away, and saw 
 that slowly but surely their awful speed was 
 lessening. The reprieve from death seemed too 
 good to be true. 
 
 " Ain't we uns goin' to be killed ? " she mur- 
 mured. 
 
 "No, fer even if we do buck into the freight, 
 hit won't do us much damage now." 
 
 Within a few feet of the freight, the hand-car 
 was brought to a standstill without even " buck- 
 ing " it. 
 
 " Brakes be moighty quar things," muttered 
 Bill jumping to the ground. " When I 'lowed 
 hit wuz broke agin, hit must only have. been 
 caught. Wall, pard," he added, wringing his 
 companion's hand, " death'd cum hard jes' as we 
 uns air to be freed." 
 
 Carol watched as the two removed the hand- 
 car from the track. Then the freight puffed 
 away, whereupon the convicts replaced the hand- 
 car on the track ready to proceed. 
 
 " Have yer had 'nuff, young un ? Air yer 
 scared ? " demanded Bill. 
 
340 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 Carol shook her head. "'Tain't that I'm 
 scared." She looked up the track to where her 
 father and Duke were approaching slowly. " I'll 
 wait fer him. He's my paw. I'm much 'bliged 
 fer my ride." 
 
 Bill laughed. " Wall, hit wuz excitin' at any 
 rate." 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 Northvjdrd Bound 
 
 The nearer Samuel Cornwell came, the more 
 Carol's heart sank. She was bound to have Duke 
 back but she dreaded accusing her father, so she 
 waited for him to speak first. 
 
 He, on his side, was also embarrassed. It was 
 unusual for him to be so deeply stirred as he had 
 been when he thought Carol would be dashed to 
 pieces, but now he did not wish her to see how 
 much he had cared. He had, therefore, waited 
 to grow calmer before joining her. 
 
 " Wall, Carol, air yer goin' on hum now ? " 
 was all he asked. 
 
 " E'o, I'm goin' back to camp," and her eyes 
 flashed, thinking of Duke. 
 
 " Then yer kin take him back with yer," he 
 answered indicating Duke. 
 
 Tears rose in her eyes so glad was she that he 
 had repented. " Why did yer take him ? " she 
 demanded impetuously. 
 
 " I didn't take him. He followed me." 
 
 She looked as incredulous as she felt, and he, 
 noting it, cried : 
 
 " Carol, yer didn't think I stole him ? " 
 
344 -^ -Mate/ of the Mountains 
 
 There was such a ring of horror in his voice 
 and his manner was such that she instantly knew 
 that she had misjudged him. Rather than to let 
 him see how she had suspected him, she chose to 
 lie outright. 
 
 " Of course, I didn't think hit, paw." 
 
 His look softened. " Hit wuz this way, Carol. 
 He followed me a long ways, 'fore I seed him, an' 
 then I tried to drive him back, but he wuz bound 
 to follow. I reckon he wanted ter go hum bein' 
 strange up thar. That's the way I figgered hit 
 out. An' when, he wouldn't go back I 'cided to 
 let him keep on with me an' leave him at the 
 Davenports'. I hated ter go way back with him 
 any wa3^s, 'sides which I wuz still sore at yer fer 
 thinkin' I took things." 
 
 Carol was thoroughly contrite now. " Paw, I 
 know yer didn't take um an' I'm awful sorry I 
 ever 'lowed yer did," and then she told about 
 finding the bundle at camp, and added, " Yer 
 must fergive me, paw. I'm goin' North with a 
 lady an' I don't want yer to think hard of me." 
 At first she had not intended to tell him about 
 Mrs. Morton's offer, but now that her heart 
 had melted toward him, she withheld nothing 
 from him. 
 
 " Carol, hit's a great chance," he said, and then 
 hesitated. "An' — an' — I don't dare promise 
 nothin', but I 'low yer '11 be happier if yer knows 
 I'm goin' to try to do better." 
 
Northward Bound 345 
 
 " Oh, paw," was all she answered, but the way 
 she said it fully satisfied him, and strengthened 
 him in his resolve. 
 
 Then she kissed him good-bye, and started up 
 the mountain with Duke. The way seemed short 
 to her now that her mind was at peace. 
 
 Half-way up the road to Melrose she beheld 
 Beth searching for her and Duke. 
 
 " He wandered off, an' I went to find him," 
 was all Carol said in explanation. 
 
 " We didn't know what to think," answered 
 Beth, and then because her mind was full of 
 another matter she let the subject drop. " Carol, 
 mamma's been telling me about your going 
 North with Mrs. Morton. Why didn't you tell 
 me about it ? I'm so pleased I don't know what 
 to say. It's almost too good to be true. Aren't 
 you delighted ? " 
 
 They were walking side by side, with arm 
 locked in arm, and Beth was so excited over 
 Carol's good fortune that she would have skipped 
 along had not Carol seemed so stolid. 
 
 " Aren't you pleased ? " Beth demanded again. 
 
 "Yes, I'm pleased, but " Carol could 
 
 hardly keep the tears down. "Hit's hard to 
 leave yer and 'Liz'beth. I can't help thinkin' of 
 that." 
 
 " Well, I'll write you good long letters, an' I'll 
 be so proud to hear of the progress you're 
 making." 
 
34^ A Mdid of the Mountains 
 
 Carol looked at her wistfully. "Will yer 
 really be proud if I get 'long well ? " 
 
 "I'll be awfully, awfully proud." 
 
 Her enthusiasm cheered her companion. 
 " That'll make me try more'n ever," and Carol 
 smiled appreciatively. "An' Mrs. Morton said 
 as how I can take Brune with me. That'll make 
 me less lonesome." 
 
 " I'm sorry for one thing. Mrs. Morton has sent 
 for you to come back to Tremont on the after- 
 noon train. She received another telegram that 
 makes it positively necessary for her to leave to- 
 morrow morning." 
 
 By this time they w^ere back at camp, and 
 Carol was given a belated luncheon, Maggie, her- 
 self, bringing out extra dainties for her. 
 
 "I'll think when I'm way up North of yer. 
 'Though I don't know how to thank yer in words, 
 I do thank yer in my heart fer havin' been so 
 good to we uns," said Carol to Maggie. 
 
 " Go 'long, chile. I ain't done nothin', nohow. 
 It's all Missy Beth." 
 
 " I know yer only does hit fer me 'cause of her, 
 an' " 
 
 " I don't do it for her only. Ever since yo' 
 sang that day, yo' sang yo'self right into my 
 heart, chile." Maggie was surprised at herself 
 for owning as much, but now that Carol was 
 going away she wanted a favor of her, and was 
 leading up to the subject. " When yo' sings, it's 
 
Northward Bound 347 
 
 jes' like I wuz back in Floridah, an' de sun am 
 sbinin' an' thar ain't nothin' to bother this ole 
 black woman. Would you mind, chile, singin' 
 jes' once more f er me ? " 
 
 " Would yer really like me to sing ? " Carol 
 was very much pleased that she could do some- 
 thing for Maggie, so she sat down on a rock and 
 with Maggie near by, began one of her bird 
 warblings. 
 
 Attracted by her singing, the other campers 
 came noiselessly to listen, but Carol was not dis- 
 turbed, as she was only thinking of pleasing 
 Maggie. 
 
 On and on she sang, pondering over what Mag- 
 gie had said about the sun shining, and there 
 being no trouble. The joyousness of the picture 
 rang forth in her notes, while the sound from the 
 flowing falls made a pleasing accompaniment. 
 
 Their applause, as she finished, embarrassed her 
 so that she did not know what to say or do. 
 
 " Carol, if you only apply yourself, you'll make 
 a very fine singer. You must be very thankful, 
 because this great opportunity has come to you," 
 cried Mrs. Davenport, enthusiastically. 
 
 "I am thankful," murmured Carol, and then she 
 tried to say what she had been thinking for a 
 long time. " Hit's 'cause yer gal wuz so power- 
 ful good that everythin' nice has happened. 'Fore 
 I go, I'd like to tell you uns what I think, but I 
 can't do hit — it." So overcome was she that she 
 
348 A Maid of the Mountains 
 
 fled toward the falls. Beth flew after her, as she 
 wished to be with her protege every moment of 
 Carol's few remaining hours in camp. 
 
 " Beth has been good to her, but there is another 
 point to consider," said Mrs. Davenport to her 
 husband. " This opportunity would never have 
 come to Carol if God had not given her a won- 
 derful voice ; Mrs. Morton told me so herself. 
 What will that voice do for Carol ? It will proba- 
 bly raise her above the position of her birth, but 
 will doing this be a real blessing ? I feel a great 
 responsibility about the child, for Beth's enter- 
 tainment brought Carol's voice to the notice of 
 Mrs. Morton." 
 
 Maggie answered before Mr. Davenport could 
 speak. 
 
 "Don't yo' worry, Miss Mary. Dat voice 
 couldn't be nothin' but a blessin'. Why it melted 
 dis dry, ole heart ob mine 'til dere's nothin' I 
 wouldn't do for dat chile. Den 'sides her voice, 
 Carol has a heart ob gold. I didn't see it at f urst 
 myself, not even dough Missy Beth did, but now 
 I do, an' I'm proud ob Missy Beth fer 'scoverin' 
 Carol ob Carolina, a rale progidy."