Delivering this tremendous comparison as an unanswerable climax, Rand applied himself once more to his repast. Ruth, after a moment's pause, without speaking or looking up, disengaged his hand from under his chin, and slid it along, palm uppermost, on the table beside his brother. Thereupon Rand slowly reached forward his left hand, the right being engaged in conveying victual to his mouth, and laid it on his brother's palm. The act was evidently an habitual, half mechanical one; for in a few moments the hands were as gently disengaged, without comment or expression. At last Rand leaned back in his chair, laid down his knife and fork, and, complacently loosening the belt that held his revolver, threw it and the weapon on his bed. Taking out his pipe, and chipping some tobacco on the table, he said carelessly, “I came a piece through the woods with Mornie just now.” The face that Ruth turned upon his brother was very distinct in its expression at that moment, and quite belied the popular theory that the twins could not be told apart. “Thet gal,” continued Rand, without looking up, “is either flighty, or--or suthin',” he added in vague disgust, pushing the table from him as if it were the lady in question. “Don't tell me!” Ruth's eyes quickly sought his brother's, and were as quickly averted, as he asked hurriedly, “How?” “What gets me,” continued Rand in a petulant non sequitur, “is that YOU, my own twin-brother, never lets on about her comin' yer, permiskus like, when I ain't yer, and you and her gallivantin' and promanadin', and swoppin' sentiments and mottoes.” Ruth tried to contradict his blushing face with a laugh of worldly indifference. “She came up yer on a sort of pasear.” “Oh, yes!--a short cut to the creek,” interpolated Rand satirically. “Last Tuesday or Wednesday,” continued Ruth, with affected forgetfulness. “Oh, in course, Tuesday, or Wednesday, or Thursday! You've so many folks climbing up this yer mountain to call on ye,” continued the ironical Rand, “that you disremember; only you remembered enough not to tell me. SHE did. She took me for you, or pretended to.” The color dropped from Ruth's cheek. “Took you for me?” he asked, with an awkward laugh. “Yes,” sneered Rand; “chirped and chattered away about OUR picnic, OUR nose-gays, and lord knows what! Said she'd keep them blue-jay's wings, and wear 'em in her hat. Spouted poetry, too,--the same sort o' rot you get off now and then.” Ruth laughed again, but rather ostentatiously and nervously. “Ruth, look yer!” Ruth faced his brother.