A Pagan of the Hills

glin' with old man McGivins long enough ter buy his logs offen him and yit

of pale eyes he studied the man before him until the newcomer from "down-below" felt that, in the attitude, lay al

ins," he hastened to remonstrate. "On the c

ll of no man's tradin' in these hyar Kentucky mountains without he haggled considerable. Why thet's what tradin' denotes. Howsomever

down from beetling cliffs rigidly bestowed with collossal and dripping icicles. To their ears came a babel of shouts, the

norance," he suggested, "proceed to enlighten me. Upon what do

r erbout the ign'rantest human mortals God ever suffered ter live-but even us knows erbout Alexander. Fust place he ha

-but the

an McGivins he jest disgusts gals and so he up and named h

sel of printed wisdom. He 'lowed thet Alexander wa'nt no common man's name but thet hit signified a hell-bustin' survigrous feller. By his tellin', ther fust Alexander whaled bl

"I've read of that first Alexander, bu

-house an' thet time hit proved out to be a boy. His woman sought ter rechristen ther gal Lizzie or Lake Erie or somethin' else befittin petticoats. She 'lowed thet

of the other's face and since comment seemed expected h

"Ther old man 'lowed thet hit wouldn't hardly be no fallacy ter name him Lizzie or Lake

ting a flask to his lips in the lee of a huge boulder. Palpably the drinker believed himself screened from view, and when he had wiped the neck of the flask with the palm of his hand and stowed it away again in

arson, slowly, "Bud Sellers hain't teched a dram afore now.

er tolerantly. "I've watched him and he never seem

s p'izen mean right down to ther marrer in his insidest bone. Folks calls him ther mad-dog then. Ef these men find

s bringing January rains on the heels of zero frigidity and thaws of unprecedented swiftness. While the "spring-tide" was to have been an agency of safe delivery for the felled timber this premature flood threatened to be a lawless one of devastation. Brent had rushed up here from the city driven by anxiety as to

he poplar, was a fact due to a peculiar conformation

tide comes on with ther thaws an' rains, we builds a splash dam back of 'em an' when we're ready we blows her out an' lets 'em float on down ter ther nighest boom

by cliffs and separated by a gorge from the river he had gathered them and bound them into three large rafts. Only such a stage as c

se of spring. The dam was threatened and must be strengthened and

y had been his long-hoarded treasure. He had held on to them much as a miser holds to his savings because he loved them. Even when Brent had offered a good price, running well into thousands, he had wrestled with himself. When the axes had rung and the saws whined through the scarlet and golden autumn, it had almos

instinctive courtesy. "They hain't a-workin' fer wages but jest ter kinde

ng chiefly of the calm patience and the tireless strenuousit

hey realize that your loss will be heavy if-

er a long spell of years an' I sorrers ter part with hit now. But thar's a right weighty

of mountain weather; storms that burst and cannonade without warning; trickling waters that leap overnight int

ivins. "Aaron," he said bluntly, "right numerous fellers ai

low from a trusted hand. "What fer d

Copelands an' others beside 'em, 'lows thet they ain't seekin' no heedless trouble and hit's more heedful

boys thet I needs 'em," he ordered. "Tell 'em ef they don't stand by m

ughed under his long beard, a low angry laugh, as he turned on his heel and, w

ar the footfall of the two men who had come upon him there. He knew that when once he succumbed to the thirst it meant a parting with reason and a frenzy of violence. But when the first savor of t

bent back, but when he had drunk deep he turned and

ith a shamefaced gesture the young man sought to conceal the flask under his coat, then a fickle change

kened lips. "Well, damn ther pair of ye, spies desarves what they

d ignored him, focussing his attention upon the mountain man to whom he had come in friendship and service for the stemming of a disaster. He came with a chin out-thrust

ude. He had not given back a stride no

means every time. I'm obleeged ter ye fer what ye've already done-an' I'll ask ye, now, t

. "So ye lets a man work slavish fer ye all day, and then starts in faultin' him ef he takes a drink at sun-down. Well d

d one arm and pointed it towards the west-th

don't go other fellers will-fellers thet's wuth some

belated realization, Brent threw himself forward but just as his hand fell on the shoulder of Bud Sellers he heard a report, muffled because it was fired between two savagely embraced bodies. The lumber buyer had seen no weapon drawn. That had been the instinctive

hand. For a moment the young assailant stood there with an expression of dismayed shock, as though, in his sleep, he had comm

old man McGivins, whom they carried to the nearest bonfire, feebly nodded his h

's mighty liable ter b

over home," he directed shortly, "An' fer God's sake