"Yes," admitted the woman; "you have
the ear-marks of a man from the East."

She was a tall woman, with large blue
eyes, and a remarkable quantity of yellow
hair braided on top of her head. Her gown
was of calico, of such a pattern as a widow
might wear.

"I haven't been out of town a week yet,"
she said. "We're not half settled. Not
having any one to help makes it harder;
and the baby is rather fretful."

"But you're not alone with all these little
codgers?" cried Henderson, in dismay.

The woman turned toward him with a sort
of defiance. "Yes, I am," she said; "and
I'm as strong as a horse, and I mean to get
through all right. Here were the three
children in my arms, you may say, and no
way to get in a cent. I wasn't going to
stand it just to please other folk. I said,
let them talk if they want to, but I'm going
to hold down a claim, and be accumulating
something while the children are getting up
a bit. Oh, I'm not afraid!"

In spite of this bold assertion of bravery,