When, as had occurred twice of late, Fair was led to participate in wild sprees, this was scarcely the father to whom an appeal for assistance or the exercise of salutary authority would be addressed. Virginia could hear him saying, with a flash of those big dark eyes, “Well, well, Ginnie, I can’t keep him in a glass case, just because he happens to be my son. Let him see the folly of it. Let him find out whether he wants to be a drunkard or not. Every man must do that for himself. Your conclusion—or mine—that he doesn’t want to do this sort of thing, isn’t valid. It could not be incorporated into his character. He must be free to make some selection of his own.” Arrived at the cabin, a belated, waning moon showed them the little hut, dark and silent. “I boun’ y’ Marse Fair done break dat lamp. Hit ’uz burnin’, time I lef’,” muttered the old man. The sound of their wheels brought a dusky, straggling group to the gate. The nucleus of this group was Uncle Vete’s last wife, a round-faced young mulatto woman, with a baby in her arms. About her churned and bobbed a tribe of various sizes, part of them clinging to her skirts and whimpering sleepily. Cindy was a cheerful soul, with a giggle ready to burst forth upon the slightest provocation, or no provocation at all. Virginia glanced in distress at the baby. “Oh, Cindy,” she cried, “poor little thing! Why, it’s too bad for you to be out here in the night air with that young child.” “He ain’t des’ so overly turrible young, Miss Fa’ginny,” returned Cindy with her comfortable chuckle. “De big chillen mo’ skeerter dan whut he is.” Virginia, full of indignation, sprang from the carriage. “Tek keer, honey!” cautioned Uncle Vete, as she hurried through the yard. “Dey’s th’ee o’ my youngest sleepin’ dah un’neath dat ’simmon tree.” Avoiding the slumberers beneath the persimmon, Virginia made directly for the door. “Hol’ on! Hol’ on! My precious chile! Yo’ gwine get yo’se’f shot!” urged Vete. Cindy screamed, and all the children who were awake began to wail in concert. Like a sensible girl, Virginia stood aside from the panels, back where the heavy logs protected her. (“An’ one dem shots might sail th’oo de chinkin’ des’ easy ez not!” Cindy whimpered.) She struck on the door and cried, “Fair—Fairfax! Open this door!” The answer came in the form of a bullet. [Illustration: “Buddy,” she said, huskily, “Buddy, dear, I brought a hack out for you.” ] At the report, Cindy uttered a yell so efficient and comprehensive that Virginia supposed her no less than mortally wounded. The children, even those lying so soundly asleep on the ground that they had not been wakened when Virginia stepped almost upon them, rose up and fled to their mother’s wide-spread, sheltering arms, like a brood of alarmed chickens fleeing from a hawk.