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aslant the hills reminded him of Nessie's yellow hair. The musky smell of the weeds which the farmers allowed to overrun their fence corners foreshadowed his coming walk with Nessie through the perfumed summer night. Out of the gladness of his heart he began alternately singing and whistling the refrain of "The Cowboy's Lament":

From the top of the higher hills Abner paused to look back at the village. He could see the dumpy steeple of the church where he had "disturbed public worship," and he reflected with a little thrill that he was indeed getting to be a hellion—gambling, drinking, shooting . . .

A little to the south of the village lay the new railroad, a raw red cut which extended in a level curve around the swell of a distant hill. Here and there were faint yellow cross-hatchings, which Abner knew were piles of ties ready to be laid. Close to village the road was completed, and Mr. Ditmas was expecting a locomotive to haul material from the main line to the labourers.

As Abner looked he saw a feather of smoke on the southern horizon, then a distant shriek told of a freight train coming up the main line. To Abner there was always something wild and terrific in the blast of a far-away train, and now the thought struck him, suppose he and Nessie should find themselves in peril as they crossed the track going to Mr. Warrington's that night. . . . He could see himself seizing Nessie, swinging her to safety while, a second later, the locomotive struck him. . . . A sense of physical crash quivered along Abner's spine; he would be flung to one side, Nessie would ruse to him. . . . lift his dying head in her arms. . . .

Abner moved on, tears prickling his eyes. Around the turn of the road he made out Squire Meredith's house.

The old justice of the peace was throwing corn to his pigs