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He cast so ravenous a glance at the basket on her arm that all his story of want and woe was revealed. Starvation had induced his disclosure of his identity. "It's empty," she said, inverting the basket. She watched him flinch, and asked wonderingly, "Is game skeerce?" His eyes were at once forlorn and fierce. "Oh, yes, powerful skeerce," he replied with a bitter laugh.
"The mill on Dead Crick is broke ag'in," she continued, "'n' co'n is skeerce on our side. We'll have to begin buyin' purty soon, so I thought I'd save totin' the co'n down hyeh." She handed old Gabe the empty bag. "Well," said he, "as it air gittin' late, 'n' ye have to climb the mountain ag'in, I'll let ye have that comm' out o' the hopper now. Take a cheer."
"I was thinkin' that I'd give you a night's lodgin' in place of the fifteen cents I agreed to pay you. Money's very skeerce with me, and will be till I've sold off some of the crops." "I shall be glad to make that arrangement," said Carl, who had been considering how much the farmer would ask for lodging, for there seemed small chance of continuing his journey.
"Oh, I don' know," said Captain Pharo, with the same affected indifference to his charms, but there was yes, there was something jaunty in his gait now as he walked toward the barn; "they're rather skeerce in this kentry, I expect; some d d arniky blossom or other! Poo! poo! Come, wife, time ye was ready!"
"'S I sums it up, ef ye want to stay here and ketch the last fish 't God ever made, 'ste'd o' bracin' up and mendin' yer roads and takin' yer part in a shyer town, ye must do so." "Sho!" said Captain Leezur, regarding him with wistful compassion; "I hain't seen as fish was gittin' skeerce."
"Gawd-a-moughty, marster!" Rand spoke without moving. "Get down, Young Isham, and come here." The negro obeyed, though with shaking knees. "Lawd hab mercy, marster, whar you come f'om? I done lef' you at de ford." "I'll speak to you of that presently. Whom have you passed on the road since you left the ford? How many people and what kind of people? Think now." "I ain' pass skeerce a soul, sah.
Den dar come a boat load o' white folks down from Sweevepo't, an' we hed a hard time a-fightin' on 'em. Lots ob us got killed, an' some o' dem. We hadn't many guns ner much ammunition. It war powerful hot, an' water wuz skeerce.
"What did ye bring me for?" retorted the girl shrilly. "I might hev stayed with Aunt Marty. I wasn't hankerin' to come." "Bring ye for?" repeated her father contemptuously; "I reckoned ye might he o' some account here, whar wimmin folks is skeerce, in the way o' helpin', and mebbe gettin' yer married to some likely feller. Mighty much chance o' that, with yer yaller face and skin and bones."
You jes mark my words, ef dese t'ings keep a-gwine on, niggers'll be skeerce in dis kentry purty soon. We can't be worse off, go whar we will, an' I jes count a cullu'd man a fool dat don't pole out an' git away jest ez soon ez he finds a road cut out dat he kin trabbel on." "But that was three years ago, Nimbus," said Hesden. "Where have you been since?"
"Well, I'm a-comm' up to eat dinner with ye to-morrer," he answered, with a laugh, " fer I know ye'll git one. Y'u're on hand fer most o' the matches now. Wild turkeys must be a-gittin' skeerce." The girl smiled, showing a row of brilliant teeth between her thin, red lips, and, without answering, moved toward the group of mountain women.
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