thundered, and then cheer on cheer shook the air, as John Harkless came
out under the flags, and passed down the steps of the car.

When Helen saw him, over the heads of the people and through a flying
tumult of flags and hats and handkerchiefs, she gave one frightened glance
about her, and jumped down from her high perch, and sank into the back
seat of the buckboard with her burning face turned from the station and
her eyes fixed on the ground. She wanted to run away, as she had run from
him the first time she had ever seen him. Then, as now, he came in
triumph, hailed by the plaudits of his fellows; and now, as on that long-
departed day of her young girlhood, he was borne high over the heads of
the people, for Minnie cried to her to look; they were carrying him on
their shoulders to his carriage. She had had only that brief glimpse of
him, before he was lost in the crowd that was so glad to get him back
again and so proud of him; but she had seen that he looked very white and
solemn.

Briscoe and Tom Meredith made their way through the crowd, and climbed
into the buckboard. "All right, Lige," called the judge to Willetts, who
was at the horses' heads. "You go get into line with the boys; they want
you. We'll go down on Main Street to see the parade," he explained to the
ladies, gathering the reins in his hand.

He clucked to the roans, and by dint of backing and twisting and turning
and a hundred intricate manoeuvres, accompanied by entreaties and
remonstrances and objurgations, addressed to the occupants of surrounding
vehicles, he managed to extricate the buckboard from the press; and once
free, the team went down the road toward Main Street at a lively gait. The
judge's call to the colts rang out cheerily; his handsome face was one
broad smile. "This is a big day for Carlow," he said; "I don't remember a