dear, I was horribly frightened; for while they were speaking together
I thought I heard the voice of--of some one I know--or used to know."

She stopped for a moment overcome, and I knew at once that she was
speaking of her husband, the schoolmaster that was. "And then," she
continued, "some of them told me to get down out of the trap. And then
another of them seized Nigger's head, and walked the trap as far as
the barn here. Then they unharnessed Nigger, and led him away, saying
they were short of horses, but would send him back in a day or two.
They seemed to know all about me, where I lived, and everything. One
of them took a faggot from a wall here, and laid the big fire, with
straw instead of paper. While he lit it he kept his great bee-skep on
his head (they all wore them), but I noticed he had three blue rings
tattooed on his left ring-finger. Now, somewhere I have seen a man,
quite recently, with rings tattooed like that, only I can't remember
where. I wish I could think where. He was very civil and gentle. He
saw that the fire burnt up well, and left me all those sticks and
logs, as well as the flint and steel, in case it should go out before
the snow stopped. Oh, and he took the rugs out of the trap, and laid
them on the ground for me to sit on. Before he left, he said, very
civilly, "I am sure you don't want to get folks into trouble,
madam. Perhaps you won't mention this, in case they ask you." So I
said that I didn't want to get people into trouble; but that it was
hardly a manly act to leave a woman alone, in an open barn, miles from
anywhere, on a night like to-night. He seemed ashamed at this; for he
slunk off, saying something about 'only obeying orders,' and 'not
having much choice in the matter.' Then they all stood about outside,
in the snow, leaving me alone here. They must have stayed outside a
couple of hours. About a quarter of an hour before you came I heard
some one call out, 'There it is, boys!' and immediately they all