"Putty good house you've got here. Made outen green logs an' it won't burn ez easy ez the old one did. Say, did you tell Lucas that I had axed you ter marry me?" "No; I dislike you so much that I do not mention your name to anyone." "Good idee. Wall, I've come ter ax you agin." "And I tell you that I wouldn't marry you to save my life. I despise you." "That don't make no diffunce ter me, fur airter we was married erwhile you would git over that. When I axed you befo' an' you 'lowed you wouldn't, I said you would hear from me." "Yes." He shook the bottle again, and took another drink. "An' you did hear frum me," he said, after a few moments' silence. "I don't know that I have." He laughed with a low and malicious chuckle, looked about him, looked up at the rafters, looked down at the floor, chuckled again, and said: "Ever'thing new." "I don't understand you," Eva replied. "Reckon not. Wimin kain't grab er p'int ez quick ez men ken. I mean that I sot yo' house afire. Hol' on, now; hol' on. Go ter cuttin' up an' it won't be good fur you, an' mo'n that, ef you ever breathe er word uv whut I've said it'll be good-by ter you an' that feller Lucas, too. Green logs mout not burn, but thar's suthin' else that will. Powder'll burn, er--haw, haw! Yes, it'll burn like er flash." "Oh, you wretch!" "Yas; that's whut the grasshopper 'lowed, but the wild turkey picked him up all the same. Wall, I must be shovin' erlong; sorter knockin' 'round fur my health. I'll come over agin ter-morrer an' see whut you've got ter say. But, my lady, ef you say er word ter yo' mother, ur anybody else, it'll be good-by ter the whole kit an' bilin' uv you." A few hours later, while Potter, John, and Alf were strolling along the river bank, they came upon Juckels. He stood with one hand resting upon a rock that protruded from a rugged cliff. An empty whisky bottle lay on the ground. As the men approached, Juckels looked up with a frown, and, with thick utterance, said: "I want you fellers ter go on erway frum here now. Never mind, Lucas, I am goin' ter settle with you." "Any time will suit me," John replied. "My time will suit _me_," Juckels rejoined. "It don't make no diffunce whuther it suits you or not. But I want you fellers ter go on erway frum here now, fur I got here fust an' this is mine." "Whut is yo'n?" Alf asked. "This possum." "Whar's any possum?" "Under this here rock; that's whar." "What's er possum doin' under dat rock when dar's plenty trees fur him ter climb!" Alf asked. "That's none uv yo' lookout," said Juckels. "He's under this rock, an' I'm goin' ter crawl up under thar arter him." Alf looked at the ground, examined a number of tracks, and then remarked: "Co'se you ken do what you please 'bout dis yere matter, but ef you wuz er frien' o' mine I'd t'ar yo' coat mightily er holdin' ter you fo' I'd let you go up under dar." "Yas, I reckon you would t'ar er feller's coat, an' take it erway frum him too, ef you could."