E-text prepared by David Garcia and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Kentuckiana Digital Library (http://kdl.kyvl.org/) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustration. See 28987-h.htm or 28987-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/28987/pg28987-images.html) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/28987/28987-h.zip) Images of the original pages are available through Kentuckiana Digital Library. See http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=kyetexts;cc=kyetexts;xc=1&idno=b92-229-31183777&view=toc SUNLIGHT PATCH by CREDO HARRIS Author of "Toby: A Novel of Kentucky," "Motor Rambles in Italy," etc. [Illustration: Without warning he sprang like a panther at the offender's throat _See page 12_] [Illustration] Boston Small, Maynard & Company Publishers Copyright, 1915 by Small, Maynard & Company (Incorporated) To MAUD BLANC HARRIS CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I OUT OF THE WILDERNESS 1 II AN UNEXPECTED RESCUE 6 III THE WOUNDED MOUNTAINEER 18 IV A HUMAN ENIGMA 29 V AN INTERRUPTED BREAKFAST 37 VI THE BURNED CABIN 45 VII DALE DAWSON'S PHILOSOPHY 55 VIII THE INCONSEQUENT ENGINEER 66 IX AT THE UNPAINTED HOUSE 75 X THE SPIRIT OF SUNLIGHT PATCH 82 XI ON THE THRESHOLD 95 XII A LIGHT ABOVE THE MOUNTAIN 105 XIII IN THE CIRCLE OF CEDARS 111 XIV A MEETING OF RASCALS 131 XV TRYING TO PLAY FAIR 141 XVI A SPRINGTIME SANTA CLAUS 155 XVII AT TOP SPEED 167 XVIII A DINNER OF SILENCES 179 XIX THE MERITS OF HORSEFLESH 192 XX A STARTLING CONFESSION 203 XXI A VOICE AND A TAPER FLAME 216 XXII TWO PLANS 226 XXIII THE SECOND PLAN 236 XXIV THE CALL THAT MEANS SURRENDER 245