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In all probability, he thought and he was almost gay now that he was about to take matters into his own hands he would ferret out the real facts and be back with his quarry before another week. It was merely a matter of getting the truth and being on the spot. Nella-Rose's family might, for reasons of their own, have deceived Jim White.
For a moment the woman fenced, she would put the cup from her if she could, like all humans who understand. "You are yo' lying to me?" she asked faintly, and oh, but she would have given much to hear the girl's impish laugh of assent. Instead, she saw Nella-Rose's eyes grow deadly serious. "It's no lie, Miss Lois Ann; it's a right beautiful truth."
The dimples disappeared; the mouth fell into the pathetic, drooping lines that by and by, unless something saved Nella-Rose, would become permanent and mark her as a hill-woman one to whom soul visions were denied. Wisdom had all but conquered Nella-Rose's folly when she came in sight of Calvin Merrivale's store.
Her eyes were wide and filled with a light that startled him. He jumped from the horse and took her in his arms. "What is it?" he asked, fearing some intangible danger. "The minister was killed by the flood!" Nella-Rose's tones were thrilling. "He was going through Devil-may-come Hollow and a mighty big rock struck him and he's dead!" "Then you must come with me, Nella-Rose."
But from out the wreck and ruin Truedale wrenched one sacred truth to which he knew he must hold or sink utterly. He could not expect any one in God's world to understand; it must always be hidden in his own soul, but that marriage of his and Nella-Rose's in the gray dawn after the storm had been holy and binding to him.
"And for days and nights you stayed alone with this man?" The lean hand, with unrelenting strength, now gripped the drooping face and held it firmly while the firelight played full upon it, meanwhile the keen old eyes bored into Nella-Rose's very soul. "But he he is my man! You forget the marrying on the hill, Miss Lois Ann!" The voice was raised a bit and the colour left the trembling lips.
I have always wanted, at least for years, to have you know; but it was Nella-Rose's wish that you should not. And now, little Ann has made it possible." And then Lynda told him. He had relinquished his hold upon her and sat with tightly clenched hands gazing at the ashes on the hearth. Lynda pressed against him, watching watching the effect of every word.
"You are " she began, but Lois Ann was between her and Nella-Rose. "Go!" she commanded with terrible scorn. "Go! You are not fit to touch them. Go! Dying or mad the girl belongs to me and not to such as has viper blood in their veins. Go!" And Marg went with the sound of Nella-Rose's crooning to her child ringing in her ears. Things happened dramatically after that in the deep woods.
Well, I kept the sassy little hen there wasn't anything else ter do but one day Marg, she followed Nella-Rose up and when she saw what was going on, she stamped in and cried out: 'So! yo' can have playthings while us-all go starved! Yo' can steal what's our'n, an' with that she took the bantam and fo' I could say a cuss, she wrung that chicken's neck right fo' Nella-Rose's eyes!"
Her kindness did not desert her, nor her merciful justice, but she meant to shield Truedale with her life hers and Nella-Rose's, if necessary. "Why have you come?" she asked again, and Nella-Rose, taking for granted that this pale, strange woman did know all about her knew everything and every one pertaining to her fixed her sweet eyes, tear-filled but not overflowing, upon her face.
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