“Waal, waal, I never hearn the beat o’ Jake’s talk! He ’peared plumb rej’iced over the happenings in the Cove. An’ I ’lowed ter him—I said, ‘I’ll thanky ter remember it be my cousin—yes, sir, own blood relation—ez Teck, Jepson hev murdered, so don’t git ter glorifyin’ over it hyar.’ An’ he say, ‘I can’t holp it. Mis’ Bowles. I’m sorry fur Eli an’ his darters, but ’tain’t mine ter question the Lord’s devices, nor what He ’lows that a day shell bring forth. The Lord suffered it,’ he says, ‘so Eli mus’ submit, an’ his kinfolks too. But,’ he says, ‘the Lord hain’t done nuthin’ so much ter my taste fur the las’ ten year! We-uns’ll see how the mate o’ Daniel will look in a cage hisself,’ Jake say; ‘no other lion nor other wild cattle thar, but he kin cavort around an’ rage fur twenty. We-uns will see how the friend o’ Moses, the Lawgiver, will stand agin them lawgivers down ter the criminal court. We-uns will git a chance ter rest our ears ’bout them folks in the Bible fur one while, sure, fur the livin’ will gin Teck all he kin tend ter, ’thout studyin’ on them ez be dead an’ gone so long they oughter be furgot, ef they ain’t.’ An’ I ax Jake, I jes’ riz up an’ axed him, ef he warn’t ’shamed ter talk that-a-way, whenst he purtended ter hev got religion. An’ he ’lowed he hed got through with wantin’ religion. Whenst the pa’son declared he wouldn’t baptize him, it jes’ kem on him like a flood o’ light ez he hed ruther go ter hell ’n ter heaven along o’ sech Christians ez pa’son an’ Teck. An’ sence that minit his soul hed troubled him no mo’.” Jepson slowly blew the smoke from between his lips; the hand that held the corn-cob pipe did not tremble. There was no suggestion of anger in his dark blue eyes, the color of the iris distinct as he gazed meditatively into the fire. The flicker of the flames fluctuated upon his regular, definite features, and he showed no consciousness of his surroundings save that he kept his former attitude rigidly, in order that Bob, leaning forward with the excited eye of achievement and the quick breath of effort, might triumphantly accomplish the feat of unbuckling and taking off the large spur. The child’s posture incommoded the slumbers of Aminty’s yellow cat that lay in his lap, and she held her green eyes half open that she might guard against the danger of being too much compressed as he bent over. More than once she put up her paw against the breast of his nightgown, with an admonitory claw extended; but he only peremptorily caught it and put it down, and went on with his enterprise as before. Mrs. Bowles seemed disposed to despair and desist, as she gazed speculatively at the impassive Jepson. Her husband stirred uneasily, and then remarked non-committally, “_Some_ say Jake Baintree air a bad aig.”