“There's a heap the matter!” she answered, regarding him with that sly oblique look; while Brian noticed a feeling of intense excitement in her voice. “I don't know what you-all are a-goin' ter think of me, but I'm bound ter tell you just the same,--seems like I got ter,--even if you-all was ter lick me for hit like pap used ter.” “Why, Judy, dear,” the puzzled man returned, soothingly, “you know I would never strike you, no matter what you did. Come, sit down here on this log, and tell me about whatever it is that troubles you; then you can go back to sleep again.” “I ain't a-wantin' ter set down. I ain't been asleep. Hit seems like I can't never sleep no more.” She wrung her hands and turned her poor twisted body about nervously; then demanded with startling abruptness: “When do you-all 'low she'll git back?” The wondering Brian did not at first catch her meaning, and she continued, with an impatient jerk of her head: “Hit's that there gal with the no-'count name, Betty Jo, I'm a-talkin' 'bout.” “Oh, you mean Miss Williams,” Brian returned. “Why, I suppose she will be back in two or three weeks, or a month, perhaps; I don't know exactly, Judy. Why?” “'Cause I'm a-tellin' you-all not ter let her come back here ever,” came the startling answer, in a voice that was filled with menacing anger. Then, before Brian could find a word to reply, the mountain girl continued, with increasing excitement: “You-all dassn't let her come back here, nohow, 'cause, if you do, I'll hurt her, sure. You-all have been a-thinkin' as how I was plumb blind, I reckon; but I seen you,--every evenin', when she'd pretend ter just go for a walk an' then'd make straight for the clearin' where you was a-choppin', an' then you'd quit, an' set with her up there on the hill. Youuns never knowed I was a-watchin' from the bresh all the time, did you? Well, I was; an' when youuns'd walk down ter the house, so slow like an' close together, I'd sneak ahead, an' beat you home; but all the time I was a-seein' you, an' youuns never knowed, 'cause youuns just naturally couldn't see nor hear nothin' but each other. Don't you-all 'low as how I'd know by the way you looked at her, while youuns was a-fixin' that there book, every night, what you-all was a-thinkin' 'bout her? My God-A'mighty! hit was just as plain ter me as if you was a-sayin' hit right out loud all the time,--a heap plainer hit was than if you'd done writ' hit down in your book. I can't make out ter read print much, nohow, like youuns kin; but I sure kin see what I see. I--” “Judy! Judy!” Brian broke the stream of the excited girl's talk. “What in the world are you saying? What do you mean, child?” “You-all knows dad burned well what I'm a-meanin'!” she retorted, with increasing anger. “I'm a-meanin' that you-all are plumb lovin' that there Betty Jo gal,--that's what I'm a-meanin'!--an' you-all sure ain't got ary right for ter go an' do sich a thing, nohow!”