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Gedney Raffer, weazened, snakelike, sly, and treacherous, had doubtless wronged Uncle Henry deeply. But this fact could not excuse the huge lumberman's language on the platform of the Hobart Forks station. Nan wanted to stop her ears with her fingers and run from the spot. The tough fellows standing around enjoyed the war of words hugely. Mr.
Perhaps this might be; but Nan was dreadfully sorry, nevertheless, that Uncle Henry had this trouble with Mr. Gedney Raffer. The girl feared that there had been something besides "letting off steam" in the challenge her uncle had thrown down to his enemy, or to the men that enemy could hire to attack him.
"Give me the woods, with a fresh wind blowing, and the world looks good to me," then his voice and face fell, as he added, "excepting that snake-in-the-grass, Ged Raffer." "That man must make you a lot of trouble, Uncle Henry," said Nan sympathetically. "He does," growled the lumberman. "He's a miserable, fox-faced scoundrel, and I've no more use for him than I have for an egg-sucking dog.
His old wife and a crippled grandson were dependent on Toby, too. Thus in desperate straits Toby Vanderwiller had accepted help from Gedney Raffer. It was a pitifully small sum Raffer would advance upon the little farm; but it was sufficient to put Toby in the usurer's power. This was the story Nan learned regarding Toby.
You air a sight for sore eyes, Sissy," he said; but added, nervously, "How in Joe Tunket did you git in the swamp? Along the road?" "Yes, sir," said Nan. "Come right erlong this way?" "Yes, sir." "Did ye meet anybody?" demanded old Toby, eyeing her sharply. "Mr. Raffer, driving his old buckskin horse. That's all." "Didn't say nothin' to ye, did he?" asked Toby, curiously.
She brushed them aside and so pushed on until she could see the road again. A lean, yellow horse, tackled to the shafts of a broken top-buggy with bits of rope as well as worn straps, stood in the roadway. The man on the seat, talking to another on the ground, was Mr. Gedney Raffer, the timberman who was contending at law with Uncle Henry.
Nan thought that such a bad man as Raffer appeared to be would undoubtedly carry out his threat. He had offered money to have Mr. Sherwood beaten up, and the ruffians he had bribed would doubtless be only too eager to earn the reward.
It took weeks for the girl from Tillbury to regain the half-wild girl's confidence again. Nan was just as busy and happy as she could be, considering the uncertain news from Scotland and Uncle Henry's unfortunate affair with Gedney Raffer. She helped Aunt Kate with the housework early every morning so that they might both hurry into the woods to pick berries.
But now, seeing Toby turning back along the corduroy road, and slowly shuffling toward home, she stepped out of the hovering bushes and walked hastily after him. She overtook him not many yards beyond the spot where he had stood talking with Raffer. He looked startled when she spoke his name. "Well!
An old, grizzled man in a corner of the fireplace where the brisk flames leaped high among the logs, and who seemed to have already eaten his breakfast and was busily stoning an axe blade, looked up as Nan and her uncle approached, saying: "Seen Ged Raffer lately, Hen?" "I saw him at the Forks the other day, Toby," Mr. Sherwood replied. "Yaas. I heard about that," said the old man drawlingly.
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