about the happenings in town the day before--but Hale could tell
him nothing that he seemed not already to know.

"It was quar," the old mountaineer said. "I've seed two men with
the drap on each other and both afeerd to shoot, but I never heerd
of sech a ring-around-the-rosy as eight fellers with bead on one
another and not a shoot shot. I'm glad I wasn't thar."

He frowned when Hale spoke of the Red Fox.

"You can't never tell whether that ole devil is fer ye or agin ye,
but I've been plum' sick o' these doin's a long time now and
sometimes I think I'll just pull up stakes and go West and git out
of hit--altogether."

"How did you learn so much about yesterday--so soon?"

"Oh, we hears things purty quick in these mountains. Little Dave
Tolliver come over here last night."

"Yes," broke in Bub, "and he tol' us how you carried Loretty from
town on a mule behind ye, and she jest a-sassin' you, an' as how
she said she was a-goin' to git you fer HER sweetheart."

Hale glanced by chance at the little girl. Her face was scarlet,
and a light dawned.

"An' sis, thar, said he was a-tellin' lies--an' when she growed up
she said she was a-goin' to marry---"