"If she does, I hope she'll get entirely lost deep down in the woodland." She turned sharply toward him. "What fer?" "So you may take longer to look for her, and upon discovering your inability to locate her, may request the newcomer to aid you in the search." She was studiously silent for a moment, her feet still swinging to and fro underneath the porch. "I know these woods better'n you." "But we are to suppose that the hour is very late and you are quite afraid to go into the woodland for fear some wild beast will catch you." Her merry laughter rang over the mountain. "Would ye help me agin?" she asked. "Every time." Again she sat silent. "Old brindle mout git out agin and she mout git lost. Whut's ther book ye brought me?" "A story of the Dark Ages." "Whut's that?" "What?" "Ther Dark Ages." "Oh, that's a time away back yonder before you were born." "Hit was putty dark in them days, wasn't it?" Wade's face flushed perceptibly, but he smiled. "You cannot be so very much younger than myself," he said. "I don't know how old ye are, but I know I'm old 'nough ter go ter town alone, an' can bring the cows home when Tom's not here." "Who is Tom?" "My only brother. Ye seed him t'other night when ye come with me ter fetch the old brindle cow home, didn't ye?" "I saw someone on horse back coming up the road." "Did _he_ see ye?" She bent over and looked straight into Wade's eyes. "I tried to keep him from doing so. I stepped behind a sheltering bush while he passed, not that I particularly cared for his seeing _me_, but I felt for your safety. You had told me that your father must not see you with me, therefore I was in hiding for you, not for myself at all." "Ye needn't," she replied warmly. "It's fer yourself I'm lookin' out. I can take care of me. The next time ye can, jest keep on in ther middle of ther road ef ye think yer hidin' fer me. Ye hain't, no, ye hain't." Again Wade thoroughly misunderstood. "Let us keep peace," he said tenderly, "because you are my nearest neighbor now, and I'm a most neighborly fellow. I came over to-day because I believe neighbors ought to be friendly." "Is that all?" she asked, a wild and troubled expression in her dark eyes. "No, not all, not quite all," he answered thoughtfully. "Had there not been an attraction here----" "Whut's 'attraction'?" she interrupted shyly. "Something to bring a fellow." She could not seem to understand. "Your hoss could a-done that." Wade laughed outright. The silvery notes touched deep down into the girl's very heart and soul, and she laughed a joyous laugh. "I mean there is something on the other end to attract, to cause a fellow to have a desire to go. For instance, a magnetic power attracts other things, other bits of steel directly to it----" "Whut's magnetic power?" she asked, interrupting. "Haven't you seen a lodestone or a bit of steel in the shape of a horseshoe that will pick up a needle of its own power?"