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Dunwody therefore determined to ride across the river bed at its shortest distance, in the attempt to intercept the steamer, relying upon chance to secure small boats near at hand should they be necessary. His men by this time were glad enough to dismount and take some sort of refreshment before this last stage of their journey.
"I was, but I changed my mind at the last moment. It is far more comfortable going down by boat than it is by stage. Then, the thought of the pleasure of your society on the journey " He was smiling, rather maliciously. "Yes, yes, of course!" somewhat dismally. "But now, to be frank with you, you don't seem altogether happy. Why do you want to be rid of me? What harm have I done?" smiled Dunwody.
"They look familiar," commented Dunwody. "That's Jones, and that's Judge Clayton, down below why, I just left both of them on the boat the other day! It's Desha and Yates with them, from the other side of the county. There must be something up." He advanced to meet the visitors. "Good morning, gentlemen. Light down, and come in."
After a time the day would come again, would look with franker eyes upon this scene of horror. As the light grew stronger, though yet cold and gray, Dunwody, sighing, raised his head from his hands and turned. There was a figure seated close to him a woman, who reached out a hand to take his scarred and burned ones in her own, a woman, moreover, who asked him no questions. "Oh!
Slowly he pushed on, directly up to Carlisle, who faced him fearless as ever. "Tell your men to throw down their guns!" demanded Dunwody once more. "Attention, company!" called out the young Northerner. "Stack arms!" Silently, in the dark, even in the confusion, the beleaguered men grouped together and leaned their rifles against this or that support.
At the same moment, Dunwody, weapon in hand, dashed around the corner of the house and up on the front gallery. Apparently he was searching for some one whom he did not find. Here he was soon discovered by the old negro woman, who began an excited harangue, with wild gesticulations. To Josephine it seemed that Sally pointed toward the interior of the house, as though she beckoned, explained.
Once again he lost. Dunwody drew back with a deep sigh. "Look!" he said, "of my three cards, two were what I wanted aces, aces, man! four of them! By every token, I have won. It's fate!" The face of his opponent was a study. His eyebrows went up in pleasant expostulation at the other's eagerness. "So, then," said he, "I suppose I must pay my stake, much to my regret.
"Don't talk so!" was all he could exclaim, feeling himself not wholly innocent of reproach. Dunwody's face flushed a deep red. He made no answer except to call aloud for the old house servant, Sally, who presently appeared. "Madam," said Dunwody, in a low voice, limping forward toward Josephine, "you and I must declare some sort of truce. The world has all gone helter-skelter.
"That looks feasible to me," remarked Judge Clayton, and the others nodded their approval. Judge Clayton dropped into a seat, as he replaced his glass on the nearest table. "By the way, Colonel Dunwody," said he, "there was something right strange happened on the Vernon, coming down the Ohio, and I thought maybe you could help us figure it out.
"Sir," replied Carlisle, "I recall that when I was a youth, some of us, members of the Sabbath-school class, occasionally would ask our teacher a question on the Scriptures which he could not answer. In that case he always said, 'My dear young friends, there are some things which are not for man to know." "I accept my temporary defeat," said Dunwody slowly. "We'll see.
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