Somehow, it seemed that in some vague future day that star would lead her. She was often alone, for her father would leave her there and go his own ways, but a day came when he returned and began throwing his few possessions into a bundle. "M'nervy," he said with a sullen sort of embarrassment, "I reckon thar's times when ye gits right-smart lonesome way up hyar, hain't thar?" A catch had come into her voice as she said: "Right often, Pappy." He nodded, then added abruptly: "Waal, we're ergwine ter nail up thet door ternight an' quit this-hyar place." "Whar air we a-goin' ter?" "I done got myarried terday," he announced. "I reckon we'll go down an' dwell with my wife's folks." The sun was nearing the western peaks and the afternoon was well spent. The girl had had no intimation in advance of this contemplated change of order. She stood there stunned. Life had been empty enough, but here at least she had been in a fashion mistress of the wretched house, and here she had had her pine tree and her star, which were the emblems of her dreams. A long, low moan escaped her, and her father's face reddened in anger. He turned away and left her, going into the house, and she fled precipitately to the heights above and sobbed out her misery at the roots of the pine to which she was bidding farewell. Then they had moved, and life had meant fitting herself into a new family, no member of which liked her, and submitting to the shrewish heckling of a step-mother, who seemed to her a hideous libel upon the memory of the woman who had been lucky enough to die young. Now, as she sat with her book in her lap, because in a few days she must go back to that cabin, the past was parading in review before her eyes, and though she was very hungry for "larnin'" she was neglecting her books. CHAPTER III The late convict had wasted his strength. His violent paroxysm of anger had exhausted him more than his laborious tramp. It had sent his temperature up and brought a sickening weakness to his muscles. He wavered as he plodded and once or twice even stumbled to his knees, until at last, with only three-quarters of a mile left, he turned aside to the bank of the roadside and sat down with the sweat of weakness dripping from his face.