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For years his life had been lonely, and then suddenly it had been full. Never again would it be either. Slingerland turned his back to the trail made by the advancing march of the empire-builders, and sought the seclusion of the more inaccessible hills. "Some day I'll work out with a load of pelts," he said, "an' then mebbe I'll hyar what become of Neale an' her."
"I'll allow that you-uns don't seem to be a bad lot of fellers," said the butternut; "but I don't see what you-uns want to come down hyar to fight we-uns for. We-uns never done nothing to you-uns." "Every rebel I meet says the same thing," said Frank. "But who were the richest men in this place before the war broke out?"
"Nope. Jest plain, every-day cactus. An' over hyar look down the valley. Somethin' of a pretty forest, ain't thet?" he asked, pointing. Madeline saw a beautiful forest in the center of the valley toward the south. "Wal, Miss Majesty, thet's jest this deceivin' air. There's no forest. It's a mirage." "Indeed! How beautiful it is!"
"I reckon," he announced abruptly when they stood on the crest of a steep hill, "I'll turn back hyar. I don't dwell over yore way an' thar hain't no use fer me ter fare further. I'll bid ye farewell an' mebby some day all us fellers'll meet up again." Alexander was surprised, and a sharp little pang of disappointment shot through her breast.
"I reckon you lay dat you kin cut yo' mulatter capers wid me all you please, but you'd better look out sharp 'fo' you begin foolin' 'long er Marse Christopher. Dar you go agin, now. Ain' dat des like you? Wat you wanter go sickin' atter dat ole hyar fer, anyhow?" "So that is one of young Blake's hangers-on?" observed Carraway, with a slight inflection of inquiry. "Uncle Boaz, you mean?
"Now, that you've fathomed the density of my ignorance," he suggested, "proceed to enlighten me. Upon what does this Alexander rest his fame? What character of man is he?" "Wa'al, stranger, I've done always held ther notion thet we folks up hyar in these benighted hills of old Kaintuck, war erbout the ign'rantest human mortals God ever suffered ter live but even us knows erbout Alexander.
"This man," blazed the boy, before Lescott could speak, "is a-visitin' me an' Unc' Spicer. When ye wants him ye kin come up thar an' git him. Every damned man of ye kin come. I hain't a-sayin' how many of ye'll go back. He was 'lowin' that he'd leave hyar ter-morrer mornin', but atter this I'm a-tellin' ye he hain't a-goin' ter do hit.
After a momentary pause, as if waiting for permission to be heard, he went on: "This man thet I saved from death one time when somebody sought ter kill him laywayed me an hour or so back, an' atter he'd done disarmed an' maltreated me, he fotched me home hyar ter insult me some more in front of his woman afore he kilt me in cold blood.... He done them things because I wouldn't censure an' disgust you men thet calls yoreself ther riders."
"Look hyar, Cynthy," he said at last; "ef ye will marry me, I won't go back in yander no more. I'll leave the premi-um ter them ez kin git it." "Ye're foolish, Jacob," she replied, still fanning with the yellow calico sunbonnet. "Ain't I done tole ye, ez how they don't think nothin' of ye ter our house? I don't want all of 'em a-jowin' at me, too."
One straight in front; one to the right, an' one away to the left. Guess this path divides right hyar in three, an' each path heads for one of those peaks. Say, jest one trail crosses the keg one. Savee? The others end sudden, and then the keg." The full horror of the man's meaning now became plain to the girl. She heaved a great gasp, and turned to Bill. Her lover signed a warning.
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