1906
　　TomybrotherWithmanyfondrecollectionsofdaysspentinthesolitudeoftheforestswhereonlycanbesatisfiedthatwildfeveroffreedomofwhichthisbooktells;wheretohearthewhirrofawildduckinhisrapidflightisjoy;
　　wherethequietofanautumnafternoonswellstheheart,andwhereonemaywatchthefragrantwood—smokecurlfromthecampfire,andseethestarspeepoverdark,woodedhillsastwilightdeepens,andknowahappinessthatdwellsinthewildernessalone。
　　IntroductionTheauthordoesnotintendtoapologizeforwhatmanyreadersmaycallthe"brutality"ofthestory;butrathertoexplainthatitswildspiritistruetothelifeoftheWesternborderasitwasknownonlyalittlemorethanonehundredyearsago。
　　Thewriteristhefortunatepossessorofhistoricalmaterialofundoubtedtruthandinterest。Itisthelong—lostjournalofColonelEbenezerZane,oneofthemostprominentofthehunter—pioneer,wholaboredinthesettlementoftheWesterncountry。
　　Thestoryofthattragicperioddeservesahigherplaceinhistoricalliteraturethanithasthusfarbeengiven,andthisunquestionablybecauseofalackofauthenticdataregardingtheconqueringofthewilderness。
　　Consideringhowmanyyearsthepioneersstruggledontheborderofthiscountry,thehistoryoftheireffortsismeagerandobscure。
　　IftheyearsatthecloseoftheeighteenthandthebeginningofthenineteenthcenturywerefullofstirringadventureonthepartofthecolonistsalongtheAtlanticcoast,howcrowdedmusttheyhavebeenforthealmostforgottenpioneerswhodaringlyinvadedthetracklesswilds！Nonetherewastochroniclethefightofthesesturdy,travelerstowardthesettingsun。
　　Thestoryoftheirstormylives,oftheirheroism,andoftheirsacrificeforthebenefitoffuturegenerationsistoolittleknown。
　　Itistoabetterunderstandingofthosedaysthattheauthorhaslaboredtodrawfromhisancestor'snotesanewandstrikingportrayalofthefrontier;
　　onewhichshallpaintthefeveroffreedom,thatpowerfulimpulsewhichluredsomanytounmarkedgraves;onewhichshallshowhiswork,hislove,theeffectofthecauseswhichrenderedhislifesohard,andsurelyonewhichdoesnotforgetthewrongedIndian。
　　Thefrontierin1777producedwhitemensosavageastobemeninnameonly。
　　Theseoutcastsandrenegadeslivedamongthesavages,andduringthirtyyearsharassedtheborder,perpetratingallmanneroffiendishcrueltiesupon。thesettlers。Theywerenolesscrueltotheredmenwhomtheyruled,andattheheightoftheirbloodycareersmadefutiletheMoravianmissionaries'longlabors,anddestroyedthebeautifulhamletoftheChristianIndians,calledGnaddenhutten,orVillageofPeace。
　　AndwhiletheborderproducedsuchoutlawssodiditproducehuntersEkeBoone,theZanes,theMcCollochs,andWetzel,thatstrange,silentmanwhosedeedsarestillwhisperedinthecountrywhereheonceroamedinhisinsatiatepursuitofsavagesandrenegades,andwhowaspurelyaproductofthetimes。
　　CivilizationcouldnothavebroughtforthamanlikeWetzel。Greatrevolutions,greatcrises,greatmomentscome,andproducethementodealwiththem。
　　TheborderneededWetzel。Thesettlerswouldhaveneededmanymoreyearsinwhichtomakepermanenthomeshaditnotbeenforhim。Hewasneverapioneer;
　　butalwaysahunterafterIndians。Whennotonthetrackofthesavagefoe,hewasinthesettlement,withhiskeeneyeandeareveralertforsignsoftheenemy。TothesuperstitiousIndianshewasashadow;aspiritoftheborder,whichbreathedmenacefromthedarkforests。Tothesettlershewastherightarmofdefense,afittingleaderforthosefewimplacableandunerringfrontiersmenwhomadethesettlementoftheWestapossibility。
　　Andifthisstoryofoneofhisrelentlesspursuitsshowsthemanashetrulywas,lovedbypioneers,respectedandfearedbyredmen,andhatedbyrenegades;ifitsoftensalittletheruthlessnamehistoryaccordshim,thewriterwillhavebeenwellrepaid。
　　Z。G。
　　TheSpiritoftheBorderChapterI。
　　"Nell,I'mgrowingpowerfulfondofyou。"
　　"Soyoumustbe,MasterJoe,ifoftentellingmakesittrue。"
　　Thegirlspokesimply,andwithanabsenceofthatroguishnesswhichwascharacteristicofher。Playfulwords,archsmiles,andatouchofcoquetryhadseemednaturaltoNell;butnowhergravetoneandheralmostwistfulglancedisconcertedJoe。
　　Duringallthelongjourneyoverthemountainsshehadbeengayandbright,whilenow,whentheywereabouttopart,perhapsnevertomeetagain,sheshowedhimthedeeperandmoreearnestsideofhercharacter。Itcheckedhisboldnessasnothingelsehaddone。Suddenlytherecametohimtherealmeaningofawoman'slovewhenshebestowsitwithoutreservation。Silencedbythethoughtthathehadnotunderstoodheratall,andtheknowledgethathehadbeenhalfinsport,hegazedoutoverthewildcountrybeforethem。
　　ThesceneimpresseditsquietnessupontheyoungcoupleandbroughtmoreforciblytotheirmindsthefactthattheywereatthegatewayoftheunknownWest;thatsomewherebeyondthisrudefrontiersettlement,outthereinthoseunbrokenforestsstretchingdarkandsilentbeforethem,wastobetheirfuturehome。
　　FromthehighbankwheretheystoodthelandslopedandnarrowedgraduallyuntilitendedinasharppointwhichmarkedthelastbitoflandbetweentheAlleghenyandMonongahelarivers。HeretheseswiftstreamsmergedandformedthebroadOhio。Thenew—bornriver,evenhereatitsbeginningproudandswellingasifalreadycertainofitsfar—awaygrandeur,sweptmajesticallyroundawidecurveandapparentlylostitselfintheforestfoliage。
　　Onthenarrowpointoflandcommandingaviewoftheriversstoodalong,lowstructureenclosedbyastockadefence,onthefourcornersofwhichwerelittlebox—shapedhousesthatbulgedoutasiftryingtoseewhatwasgoingonbeneath。Themassivetimbersusedintheconstructionofthisfort,thesquare,compactform,andthesmall,darkholescutintothewalls,gavethestructureathreatening,impregnableaspect。
　　BelowNellandJoe,onthebank,weremanylogcabins。Theyellowclaywhichfilledthechinksbetweenthelogsgavetheseapeculiarstripedappearance。
　　Therewaslifeandbustleinthevicinityofthesedwellings,insharpcontrastwiththestillgrandeuroftheneighboringforests。Therewerecanvas—coveredwagonsaroundwhichcurly—headedyoungsterswereplaying。
　　Severalhorsesweregrazingontheshortgrass,andsixredandwhiteoxenmunchedatthehaythathadbeenthrowntothem。Thesmokeofmanyfirescurledupward,andneartheblazehoveredruddy—facedwomenwhostirredthecontentsofsteamingkettles。Onemanswunganaxewithavigoroussweep,andtheclean,sharpstrokesrangontheair;anotherhammeredstakesintothegroundonwhichtohangakettle。Beforealargecabinafur—traderwasexhibitinghiswarestothreeIndians。Asecondredskinwascarryingapackofpeltsfromacanoedrawnupontheriverbank。Asmallgroupofpersonsstoodnear;somewereindifferent,andothersgazedcuriouslyatthesavages。Twochildrenpeepedfrombehindtheirmother'sskirtsasifhalf—curious,half—frightened。
　　Fromthisscene,thesignificanceofwhichhadjustdawnedonhim,Joeturnedhiseyesagaintohiscompanion。Itwasasweetfacehesaw;onethatwassedate,buthadapromiseofinnumerablesmiles。Theblueeyescouldnotlonghideflashesofmerriment。Thegirlturned,and,thetwoyoungpeoplelookedateachother。Hereyessoftenedwithawoman'sgentlenessastheyresteduponhim,for,broadofshoulder,andlitheandstrongasadeerstalker,hewasgoodtolookat。
　　"Listen,"shesaid。"Wehaveknowneachotheronlythreeweeks。Sinceyoujoinedourwagon—train,andhavebeensokindtomeandsohelpfultomakethatlong,roughrideendurable,youhavewonmyregard。I——Icannotsaymore,evenifIwould。YoutoldmeyouranawayfromyourVirginianhometoseekadventureonthefrontier,andthatyouknewnooneinallthiswildcountry。
　　Youevensaidyoucouldnot,orwouldnot,workatfarming。PerhapsmysisterandIareasunfittedasyouforthislife;butwemustclingtoourunclebecauseheistheonlyrelativewehave。HehascomeoutheretojointheMoravians,andtopreachthegospeltotheseIndians。Weshallsharehislife,andhelphimallwecan。Youhavebeentellingmeyou——youcaredforme,andnowthatweareabouttopartI——Idon'tknowwhattosaytoyou——unlessitis:Giveupthisintentionofyourstoseekadventure,andcomewithus。Itseemstomeyouneednothuntforexcitementhere;itwillcomeunsought。"
　　"IwishIwereJim,"saidhe,suddenly。
　　"WhoisJim？"
　　"Mybrother。"
　　"Tellmeofhim。"
　　"There'snothingmuchtotell。HeandIareallthatareleftofourpeople,asareyouandKateofyours。Jim'sapreacher,andthebestfellow——oh！I
　　caredalotforJim。"
　　"Then,whydidyouleavehim？"
　　"IwastiredofWilliamsburg——Iquarreledwithafellow,andhurthim。
　　Besides,IwantedtoseetheWest;I'dliketohuntdeerandbearandfightIndians。Oh,I'mnotmuchgood。"
　　"WasJimtheonlyoneyoucaredfor？"askedNell,smiling。Shewassurprisedtofindhimgrave。
　　"Yes,exceptmyhorseanddog,andIhadtoleavethembehind,"answeredJoe,bowinghisheadalittle。
　　"You'dliketobeJimbecausehe'sapreacher,andcouldhelpuncleconverttheIndians？"
　　"Yes,partlythat,butmostlybecause——somehow——somethingyou'vesaidordonehasmademecareforyouinadifferentway,andI'dliketobeworthyofyou。"
　　"Idon'tthinkIcanbelieveit,whenyousayyouare'nogood,'"shereplied。
　　"Nell,"hecried,andsuddenlygraspedherhand。
　　Shewrenchedherselffree,andleapedawayfromhim。Herfacewasbrightnow,andthepromiseofsmileswasmadegood。
　　"Behaveyourself,sir。"Shetossedherheadwithafamiliarbackwardmotiontothrowthechestnuthairfromherface,andlookedathimwitheyesveiledslightlyundertheirlashes。"YouwillgowithKateandme？"
　　Beforehecouldanswer,acryfromsomeoneontheplainbelowattractedtheirattention。Theyturnedandsawanotherwagon—trainpullingintothesettlement。Thechildrenwereshootingandrunningalongsidethewearyoxen;
　　menandwomenwentforwardexpectantly。
　　"Thatmustbethetrainuncleexpected。Letusgodown,"saidNell。
　　Joedidnotanswer;butfollowedherdownthepath。Whentheygainedaclumpofwillowsnearthecabinshebentforwardandtookherhand。Shesawtherecklessgleaminhiseyes。
　　"Don't。They'llsee,"shewhispered。
　　"Ifthat'stheonlyreasonyouhave,IreckonIdon'tcare,"saidJoe。
　　"Whatdoyoumean？Ididn'tsay——Ididn'ttell——oh！letmego！"imploredNell。
　　ShetriedtoreleasethehandJoehadgraspedinhisbroadpalm,butinvain;
　　themoreshestruggledthefirmerwashishold。Afrownwrinkledherbrowandhereyes。sparkledwithspirit。Shesawthefur—tader'swifelookingoutofthewindow,andrememberedlaughingandtellingthegoodwomanshedidnotlikethisyoungman;itwas,perhaps,becauseshefearedthosesharpeyesthatsheresentedhisaudacity。Sheopenedhermouthtorebukehim;butnowordscame。Joehadbenthisheadandsoftlyclosedherlipswithhisown。
　　ForthesingleinstantduringwhichNellstoodtransfixed,asifwithsurprise,andlookingupatJoe,shewasdumb。Usuallythegirlwasreadywithsharporsaucywordsandimpulsiveinhermovements;butnowthebewildermentofbeingkissed,particularlywithinviewofthetrader'swife,confusedher。
　　Thensheheardvoices,andasJoeturnedawaywithasmileonhisface,theunusualwarmthinherheartwasfollowedbyanangrythrobbing。
　　Joe'stallfigurestoodoutdistinctlyasheleisurelystrolledtowardtheincomingwagon—trainwithoutlookingbackward。Flashingafterhimaglancethatbodedwordytroubleinthefuture,sheranintothecabin。
　　Assheenteredthedooritseemedcertainthegrizzledfrontiersmansittingonthebenchoutsidehadgrinnedknowinglyather,andwinkedasiftosayhewouldkeephersecret。Mrs。Wentz,thefur—trader'swife,wasseatedbytheopenwindowwhichfacedthefort;shewasalargewoman,strongoffeature,andwiththatcalmplacidityofexpressioncommontopeoplewhohavelivedlonginsparselypopulateddistricts。Nellglancedfurtivelyatherandthoughtshedetectedtheshadowofasmileinthegrayeyes。
　　"Isawyouandyoursweetheartmakin'lovebehindthewillow,"Mrs。Wentzsaidinamatter—of—factvoice。"Idon'tseewhyyouneedhidetodoit。Wefolksouthereliketoseetheyoungpeoplesparkin'。Youryoungmanisafine—appearin'chap。Ifeltcertainyouwassweethearts,forallyouallowedyou'dknownhimonlyafewdays。LizeDavissaidshesawhewassweetonyou。
　　Ilikehisface。Jake,myman,saysashowhe'llmakeagoodhusbandforyou,andhe'lltaketothefrontierlikeaduckdoestowater。I'msorryyou'llnottarryhereawhile。Wedon'tseemanylasses,especiallyanyasprettyasyou,andyou'llfinditmorequietandlonesomethefartherWestyouget。JakeknowsallaboutFortHenry,andJeffLynn,thehunteroutside,heknowsEbandJackZane,andWetzel,andallthoseFortHenrymen。You'llbegettin'marriedoutthere,won'tyou？"
　　"Youare——quitewrong,"saidNell,whoallthewhileMrs。Wentzwasspeakinggrewrosierandrosier。"We'renotanything———"
　　ThenNellhesitatedandfinallyceasedspeaking。Shesawthatdenialsorexplanationswerefutile;thesimplewomanhadseenthekiss,andformedherownconclusions。DuringthefewdaysNellhadspentatFortPitt,shehadcometounderstandthatthedwellersonthefrontiertookeverythingasamatterofcourse。Shehadseenthemmanifestacertainpleasure;butneithersurprise,concern,noranyofthequickimpulsessocommonamongotherpeople。AndthiswasanotherlessonNelltooktoheart。Sherealizedthatshewasenteringuponalifeabsolutelydifferentfromherformerone,andthethoughtcausedhertoshrinkfromtheordeal。Yetallthesuggestionsregardingherfuturehome;
　　thestoriestoldaboutIndians,renegades,andofthewildborder—life,fascinatedher。Thesepeoplewhohadsettledinthiswildregionweresimple,honestandbrave;theyacceptedwhatcameasfactsnottobequestioned,andbelievedwhatlookedtrue。Evidentlythefur—trader'swifeandherfemaleneighborshadsettledintheirmindstherelationinwhichthegirlstoodtoJoe。
　　ThislatterreflectionheightenedNell'sresentmenttowardherlover。ShestoodwithherfaceturnedawayfromMrs。Wentz;thelittlefrowndeepened,andshenervouslytappedherfootonthefloor。
　　"Whereismysister？"shepresentlyasked。
　　"Shewenttoseethewagon—traincomein。Everybody'soutthere。"
　　Nelldeliberatedamomentandthenwentintotheopenair。Shesawanumberofcanvas—coveredwagonsdrawnupinfrontofthecabins;thevehiclesweredustyandthewheelsencrustedwithyellowmud。ThegrizzledfrontiersmanwhohadsmiledatNellstoodleaningonhisgun,talkingtothreemen,whosetravel—stainedandwornhomespunclothessuggestedalongandtoilsomejourney。Therewasthebustleofexcitementincidenttothearrivalofstrangers;tothequickexchangeofgreetings,theunloadingofwagonsandunharnessingofhorsesandoxen。
　　Nelllookedhereandthereforhersister。Finallyshesawherstandingnearherunclewhileheconversedwithoneoftheteamsters。Thegirldidnotapproachthem;butglancedquicklyaroundinsearchofsomeoneelse。AtlengthshesawJoeunloadinggoodsfromoneofthewagons;hisbackwasturnedtowardher,butsheatoncerecognizedthechallengeconveyedbythebroadshoulders。Shesawnootherperson;gaveheedtonothingsavewhatwastoher,righteousindignation。
　　Hearingherfootsteps,theyoungmanturned,glancingatheradmiringly,said:
　　"Goodevening,Miss。"
　　Nellhadnotexpectedsuchamatter—of—factgreetingfromJoe。Therewasnottheslightesttraceofrepentanceinhiscalmface,andheplacidlycontinuedhislabor。
　　"Aren'tyousorryyou——youtreatedmeso？"burstoutNell。
　　Hiscoolnesswasexasperating。Insteadofthecontritionandapologyshehadexpected,andwhichwasherdue,heevidentlyintendedtoteaseher,ashehaddonesooften。
　　Theyoungmandroppedablanketandstared。
　　"Idon'tunderstand,"hesaid,gravely。"Ineversawyoubefore。"
　　Thiswastoomuchforquick—temperedNell。Shehadhadsomevagueideaofforgivinghim,afterhehadsuedsufficientlyforpardon;butnow,forgettinghergoodintentionsinthebeliefthathewasmakingsportofherwhenheshouldhavepleadedforforgiveness,sheswiftlyraisedherhandandslappedhimsmartly。
　　Theredbloodflamedtotheyoungman'sface;ashestaggeredbackwardwithhishandtohischeek,sheheardasmotheredexclamationbehindher,andthenthequick,joyousbarkingofadog。
　　WhenNellturnedshewasamazedtoseeJoestandingbesidethewagon,whileabigwhitedogwasleapinguponhim。Suddenlyshefeltfaint。Bewildered,shelookedfromJoetothemanshehadjuststruck;butcouldnotsaywhichwasthemanwhoprofessedtoloveher。
　　"Jim！Soyoufollowedme！"criedJoe,startingforwardandflinginghisarmsaroundtheother。
　　"Yes,Joe,andrightgladIamtofindyou,"answeredtheyoungman,whileapeculiarexpressionofpleasurecameoverhisface。
　　"It'sgoodtoseeyouagain！Andhere'smyolddogMose！Buthowonearthdidyouknow？Wheredidyoustrikemytrail？Whatareyougoingtodoouthereonthefrontier？Tellmeall。WhathappenedafterIleft———"
　　ThenJoesawNellstandingnearby,paleanddistressed,andhefeltsomethingwasamiss。Heglancedquicklyfromhertohisbrother;sheseemedtobedazed,andJimlookedgrave。
　　"Whatthedeuce——？Nell,thisismybrotherJim,theItoldyouabout。Jim,thisismyfriend,MissWells。"
　　"IamhappytomeetMissWells,"saidJim,withasmile,"eventhoughshedidslapmyfacefornothing。"
　　"Slappedyou？Whatfor？"ThenthetruthdawnedonJoe,andhelaugheduntilthetearscameintohiseyes。"Shetookyouforme！Ha,ha,ha！Oh,thisisgreat！"
　　Nell'sfacewasnowrosyredandmoistureglistenedinhereyes;butshetriedbravelytostandherground。Humiliationhadtakentheplaceofanger。
　　"I——I——amsorry,Mr。Downs。Ididtakeyouforhim。He——hehasinsultedme。"
　　Thensheturnedandranintothecabin。
　　ChapterII。
　　JoeandJimweresingularlyalike。Theywerenearlythesamesize,verytall,butsoheavilybuiltastoappearofmediumheight,whiletheirgreyeyesand,indeed,everyfeatureoftheirclean—cutfacescorrespondedsoexactlyastoproclaimthembrothers。
　　"Alreadyuptoyouroldtricks？"askedJim,withhishandonJoe'sshoulder,astheybothwatchedNell'sflight。
　　"I'mreallyfondofher,Jim,anddidn'tmeantohurtherfeelings。Buttellmeaboutyourself;whatmadeyoucomeWest？"
　　"ToteachtheIndians,andIwas,nodoubt,stronglyinfluencedbyyourbeinghere。"
　　"You'regoingtodoasyoueverhave——makesomesacrifice。Youarealwaysdevotingyourself;ifnottome,tosomeother。Nowit'syourlifeyou'regivingup。Totrytoconverttheredskinsandinfluencemeforgoodisinbothcasesimpossible。HowoftenhaveIsaidtherewasn'tanygoodinme！MydesireistokillIndians,notpreachtothem,Jim。I'mgladtoseeyou;butIwishyouhadn'tcome。Thiswildfrontierisnoplaceforapreacher。"
　　"Ithinkitis,"saidJim,quietly。
　　"WhatofRose——thegirlyouweretomarry？"
　　Joeglancedquicklyathisbrother。Jim'sfacepaledslightlyasheturnedaway。
　　"I'llspeakoncemoreofher,andthen,neveragain,"heanswered。"YouknewRosebetterthanIdid。Onceyoutriedtotellmeshewastoofondofadmiration,andIrebukedyou;butnowIseethatyourwiderexperienceofwomenhadtaughtyouthingsIcouldnotthenunderstand。Shewasuntrue。WhenyouleftWilliamsburg,apparentlybecauseyouhadgambledwithJewettandafterwardfoughthim,Iwasnotmisled。Youmadethegameofcardsapretense;
　　yousoughtitsimplyasanopportunitytowreakyourvengeanceonhimforhisvillainytowardme。Well,it'sallovernow。Thoughyoucruellybeatandlefthimdisfiguredforlife,hewilllive,andyouaresavedfrommurder,thankGod！WhenIlearnedofyourdepartureIyearnedtofollow。ThenImetapreacherwhospokeofhavingintendedtogoWestwithaMr。Wells,oftheMoravianMission。IimmediatelysaidIwouldgoinhisplace,andhereIam。
　　I'mfortunateinthatIhavefoundbothhimandyou。"
　　"I'msorryIdidn'tkillJewett;Icertainlymeantto。Anyway,there'ssomecomfortinknowingIleftmymarkonhim。Hewasasneaking,cold—bloodedfellow,withhiswhitehairandpaleface,andalwaysfawningroundthegirls。
　　Ihatedhim,andgaveittohimgood。"Joespokemusinglyandcomplacentlyasthoughitwasatrivialthingtocompassthekillingofaman。
　　"Well,Jim,you'reherenow,andthere'snohelpforit。We'llgoalongwiththisMoravianpreacherandhisnieces。Ifyouhaven'tanygreatregretsforthepast,why,allmaybewellyet。Icanseethattheborderistheplaceforme。Butnow,Jim,foronceinyourlifetakeawordofadvicefromme。We'reoutonthefrontier,whereeverymanlooksafterhimself。Yourbeingaministerwon'tprotectyouherewhereeverymanwearsaknifeandatomahawk,andwheremostofthemaredesperadoes。Cutoutthatsoftvoiceandmostofyourgentleways,andbealittlemorelikeyourbrother。Beaskindasyoulike,andpreachallyouwantto;butwhensomeofthesebuckskin—leggedfrontiermentrytowalkalloveryou,astheywill,takeyourownpartinawayyouhavenevertakenitbefore。Ihadmylessonthefirstfewdaysoutwiththatwagon—train。Itwasacaseoffourfights;butI'mallrightnow。"
　　"Joe,Iwon'trun,ifthat'swhatyoumean,"answeredJim,withalaugh。
　　"Yes,Iunderstandthatanewlifebeginshere,andIamcontent。IfIcanfindmyworkinit,andremainwithyou,Ishallbehappy。"
　　"Ah！oldMose！I'mgladtoseeyou,"Joecriedtothebigdogwhocamenosingroundhim。"You'vebroughtthisoldfellow;didyoubringthehorses？"
　　"Lookbehindthewagon。"
　　Withthedogboundingbeforehim,Joedidashewasdirected,andtherefoundtwohorsestetheredsidebyside。Littlewonderthathiseyesgleamedwithdelight。Onewasjet—black;theotheriron—grayandineverylinetheclean—limbedanimalsshowedthethoroughbred。Theblackthrewuphisslimheadandwhinnied,withaffectionclearlyshininginhissoft,darkeyesasherecognizedhismaster。
　　"Lance,oldfellow,howdidIeverleaveyou！"murmuredJoe,ashethrewhisarmoverthearchedneck。Mosestoodbylookingup,andwagginghistailintokenofhappinessatthereunionofthethreeoldfriends。ThereweretearsinJoe'seyeswhen,withalastaffectionatecaress,heturnedawayfromhispet。
　　"Come,Jim,I'lltakeyoutoMr。Wells。"
　　Theystatedacrossthelittlesquare,whileMosewentbackunderthewagon;
　　butatawordfromJoeheboundedafterthem,trottingcontentedlyattheirheels。Halfwaytothecabinsabig,raw—bonedteamster,singinginadrunkenvoice,camestaggeringtowardthem。EvidentlyhehadjustleftthegroupofpeoplewhohadgatheredneartheIndians。
　　"Ididn'texpecttoseedrunkennessouthere,"saidJim,inalowtone。
　　"There'slotsofit。Isawthatfellowyesterdaywhenhe,couldn'twalk。
　　Wentztoldmehewasabadcustomer。"
　　Theteamster,hisredfacebathedinperspiration,andhissleevesrolledup,showingbrown,knottyarms,lurchedtowardthem。Astheymetheaimedakickatthedog;butMoseleapednimblyaside,avoidingtheheavyboot。Hedidnotgrowl,norshowhisteeth;butthegreatwhiteheadsankforwardalittle,andthelithebodycrouchedforaspring。
　　"Don'ttouchthatdog;he'lltearyourlegoff！"Joecriedsharply。
　　"Say,pard,cuman'hev'adrink,"repliedtheteamster,withafriendlyleer。
　　"Idon'tdrink,"answeredJoe,curtly,andmovedon。
　　Theteamstergrowledsomethingofwhichonlytheword"parson"wasintelligibletothebrothers。Joestoppedandlookedback。Hisgrayeyesseemedtocontract;theydidnotflash,butshadedandlosttheirwarmth。Jimsawthechange,and,knowingwhatitsignified,tookJoe'sarmashegentlyurgedhimaway。Theteamster'sshrillvoicecouldbehearduntiltheyenteredthefur—trader'scabin。
　　Anoldmanwithlong,whitehairflowingfrombeneathhiswide—brimmedhat,satnearthedoorholdingoneofMrs。Wentz'schildrenonhisknee。Hisfacewasdeep—linedandserious;butkindnessshonefromhismildblueeyes。
　　"Mr。Wells,thisismybrotherJames。Heisapreacher,andhascomeinplaceofthemanyouexpectedfromWilliamsburg。"
　　Theoldministerarose,andextendedhishand,gazingearnestlyatthenew—comermeanwhile。Evidentlyheapprovedofwhathesawinhisquickscrutinyoftheother'sface,forhislipswerewreathedwithasmileofwelcome。
　　"Mr。Downs,Iamgladtomeetyou,andtoknowyouwillgowithme。IthankGodIshalltakeintothewildernessonewhoisyoungenoughtocarryontheworkwhenmydaysaredone。"
　　"Iwillmakeitmydutytohelpyouinwhatsoeverwayliesinmypower,"
　　answeredJim,earnestly。
　　"Wehaveagreatworkbeforeus。IhaveheardmanyscofferswhoclaimthatitisworsethanfollytotrytoteachthesefiercesavagesChristianity;butI
　　knowitcanbedone,andmyheartisinthework。Ihavenofear;yetIwouldnotconcealfromyou,youngman,thatthedangerofgoingamongthesehostileIndiansmustbegreat。"
　　"Iwillnothesitatebecauseofthat。Mysympathyiswiththeredman。IhavehadanopportunityofstudyingIndiannatureandbelievetheraceinherentlynoble。Hehasbeendriventomakewar,andIwanttohelphimintootherpaths。"
　　JoeleftthetwoministerstalkingearnestlyandturnedtowardMrs。Wentz。
　　Thefur—trader'swifewasglowingwithpleasure。Sheheldinherhandseveralrudetrinkets,andwasexplainingtoherlistener,ayoungwoman,thatthetoyswereforthechildren,havingbeenbroughtallthewayfromWilliamsburg。
　　"Kate,where'sNell？"Joeaskedofthegirl。
　　"ShewentonanerrandforMrs。Wentz。"
　　KateWellswastheoppositeofhersister。Hermotionswereslow,easyandconsistentwithherlarge,full,form。HerbrowneyesandhaircontrastedsharplywithNell's。ThegreatestdifferenceinthesisterslayinthatNell'sfacewassparklingandfullofthefireofhereageryounglife,whileKate'swascalm,liketheunruffledsurfaceofadeeplake。
　　"That'sJim,mybrother。We'regoingwithyou,"saidJoe。
　　"Areyou？I'mglad,"answeredthegirl,lookingatthehandsomeearnestfaceoftheyoungminister。
　　"Yourbrother'slikeyouforalltheworld,"whisperedMrs。Wentz。
　　"Hedoeslooklikeyou,"saidKate,withherslowsmile。
　　"Whichmeansyouthink,orhope,thatthatisall,"retortedJoelaughingly。
　　"Well,Kate,theretheresemblanceends,thankGodforJim！"
　　Hespokeinasad,bittertonewhichcausedbothwomentolookathimwonderingly。Joehadtothemeverbeenfullofsurprises;neveruntilthenhadtheyseenevidencesofsadnessinhisface。Amoment'ssilenceensued。Mrs。
　　Wentzgazedlovinglyatthechildrenwhowereplayingwiththetrinkets;whileKatemusedovertheyoungman'sremark,andbeganstudyinghis,half—avertedface。Shefeltwarmlydrawntohimbythestrangeexpressionintheglancehehadgivenhisbrother。Thetendernessinhiseyesdidnotharmonizewithmuchofthiswildandrecklessboy'sbehavior。ToKatehehadalwaysseemedsobold,socold,sodifferentfromothermen,andyetherewasproofthatMasterJoelovedhisbrother。
　　Themurmuredconversationofthetwoministerswasinterruptedbyalowcryfromoutsidethecabin。Aloud,coarselaughfollowed,andthenahuskyvoice,"Hol'on,mypurtylass。"'