VII. 'THANASE'S VIOLIN 201 VIII. THE SHAKING PRAIRIE 213 IX. NOT BLUE EYES, NOR YELLOW HAIR 221 X. A STRONG TEAM 226 XI. HE ASKS HER AGAIN 235 XII. THE BEAUSOLEILS AND ST. PIERRES 248 XIII. THE CHASE 255 XIV. WHO SHE WAS 263 XV. CAN THEY CLOSE THE BREAK? 269 XVI. THE OUTLAW AND THE FLOOD 271 XVII. WELL HIDDEN 280 XVIII. THE TORNADO 286 XIX. "TEARS AND SUCH THINGS" 294 XX. LOVE, ANGER, AND MISUNDERSTANDING 299 XXI. LOVE AND LUCK BY ELECTRIC LIGHT 305 XXII. A DOUBLE LOVE-KNOT 310 BONAVENTURE. CARANCRO. CHAPTER I. SOSTHENE. Bayou Teche is the dividing line. On its left is the land of bayous, lakes, and swamps; on its right, the beautiful short-turfed prairies of Western Louisiana. The Vermilion River divides the vast prairie into the countries of Attakapas on the east and Opelousas on the west. On its west bank, at its head of navigation, lies the sorry little town of Vermilionville, near about which on the north and east the prairie rises and falls with a gentle swell, from whose crests one may, as from the top of a wave, somewhat overlook the surrounding regions. Until a few years ago, stand on whichever one you might, the prospect stretched away, fair and distant, in broad level or gently undulating expanses of crisp, compact turf, dotted at remote intervals by farms, each with its low-roofed house nestled in a planted grove of oaks, or, oftener, Pride of China trees. Far and near herds of horses and cattle roamed at will over the plain. If for a moment, as you passed from one point of view to another, the eye was shut in, it was only where in some lane you were walled in by fields of dense tall sugar-cane or cotton, or by huge green Chickasaw hedges, studded with their white-petalled, golden-centred roses. Eastward the plain broke into slight ridges, which, by comparison with the general level, were called hills; while toward the north it spread away in quieter swells, with more frequent fields and larger houses.