“I always knew it,” said Christine quietly. “I can’t remember the time when I didn’t. Here, Allie, put on this dry skirt; you will take cold if you wear that wet one any longer.” “What time did Neal get here?” asked Alison, mechanically taking the skirt. “Quite early. He stayed to dinner and then nothing would do but he must go in search of you. Where did he overtake you?” “Not very far this side of Louisa’s. Just as we reached that long stretch across the prairie the norther came up and we turned off into the woods.” “It’s lucky you did. See, here is the beautiful thing he brought.” She spread out a piece of gorgeous embroidery for Alison to admire. “It would make a magnificent apron,” she said. “Too magnificent. Where would I wear such a thing? To spend the afternoon with Hannah Maria? No, I shall keep it for the front of a gown to wear to your wedding.” And Alison blushed. “Let us go down now,” she said hastily. “The boys have come in.” They found not only John and Neal before the blazing fire, but two travelers driven in by the storm to seek shelter, and the four were discussing Texas customs and the political situation. “I was asked yesterday when I gave my name to a man,” said one of the travelers, “what my name was in the States. Rather a sharp comment upon the character of the immigration to Texas, I thought.” “It is too bad that so good a country should receive so large an overflow of shady individuals from the States,” returned John. “We do have a great many refugees from the law, but there are some decent men among us, who do not feel it necessary to take a different name in order to hide an unenviable identity. As I think of it, very few, if any, of our immediate neighbors rest under the shadow of any crime, though there have been a few desperadoes in our midst. Pike Smith, you know him, Neal,” he turned to his friend, “he is said to have worn another name before he came to Texas. Old Cy Sparks was pretty crooked, but he was born Cy Sparks and was buried under the same name. I think most of us, sir, in this vicinity can produce our family Bibles.” “I am glad to receive so good a report,” said the traveler addressed. “When a respectable man is attracted to a locality and is thinking of settling there he would rather that his neighbors were not all escaped criminals.” “We cannot boast of many intellectual spirits about here,” said John, “but further west we have some German emigrants of the better class, who are building up a most promising settlement and who have some scholarly men among them. They had a very hard experience at first, and had more difficulties to overcome than is usually the lot of pioneers, but now their village of New Braunfels is quite a model. Then there is Castro’s settlement, and others which have brought a good class of people, so, sir, you see we are not all cut-throats and horse thieves.”