"That's all right," said Colonel Blount. "How about the rest?" "Well, sah, I had the b'ah mos' skinned, when up comes Mr. 'Cherd. 'That's my b'ah,' said he. 'Co'se it is,' says I. Then he 'lowed he'd give me two dollahs ef I said he was de man dat killed de b'ah." Blount stared reflectively at a knot-hole in the side of the barn. "Jim," said he, at length, "give me the two dollars. I'll take care of that." So saying, he swung on his heel and turned away. The day was now far advanced, and the great white house had grown silent. As Blount entered, he met no one at first, but finally at the door of a half-darkened room midway of the hall, he heard the rustle of a gown and saw approaching him the not uncomely figure of the quasi-head of the menage, Mrs. Ellison. The latter moved slowly and easily forward, pausing at the doorway, where, so framed, she presented a picture attractive enough to arrest the attention of even a bear-hunting bachelor. "I am glad to see you back, Colonel," said she. "I am always so uneasy when you are away;" she sighed. Blount felt himself vaguely uncomfortable, but was not quite able to turn away. "I was just in my room," said Mrs. Ellison, "as I heard you passing by. I had a little headache." "That's too bad," said Colonel Blount, and turned again to go. The unspoken invitation of the other still restrained him. She leaned against the door, soft-eyed, her white hand waving an effective fan, an attractive, a seductive picture. "Why don't you ever come in and sit down and talk to me for a minute?" said she, at length. "I scarcely see you at all any more." Blount gathered an uneasy hint of something, he knew not what; yet he followed her back into the half-darkened room, and presently, seated near her, and wrapped in his own enthusiasms, forgot all but the bear chase, whose incidents he began eagerly to relate. His vis-a-vis sat looking at him with eyes which took in fully the careless strength of his tall and strong figure. For some time now her eyes had rested on this same figure, this man who had to do with work and the chase, with hardship and adventure, and never anything more gentle--this man who could not see! "You must be more careful," said Mrs. Ellison. "But still, you are safely back, and I'm glad you had good luck." "Well, I don't know what you would call good luck," said Blount. "The fact is, I had a little trouble, coming in." "Trouble? In what way?" "Well, it happened this way," said he, with a quick glance about him. "I don't like to mention such things, but I suppose you ought to know. This was about a couple of negroes back in the country a way. You know, I am a sort of deputy sheriff, and I was called on to do a little work with those same negroes. I suppose you know, ma'am, that those negroes used to run this whole state a few years ago, though they ain't studying so much about politics to-day."