“I judged from her manner that there was an illicit still in the neighborhood and that was what made her so suspicious.

“‘Oh, laces, ribbons and so forth,’ I replied.

“I showed her some samples.

“I’ll give you breakfast, supper and a bed fer that bit of red ribbon,’ she said.

“‘I’ll throw in this bit of blue,’ said I gallantly.

“And so the bargain was struck.  It was a small place, but neat and tidy.  Two children were playing about and in a corner sat a man trying to read a month-old newspaper.

“Pop, this feller traded in these bits of ribbon fer bed and two meals,’ she said, proudly exhibiting her goods and evidently thinking she had made an excellent bargain.  I could see the gleam of triumph in her eye.

“‘Humph!’ grunted the man, ‘much good those are.’

“Then he turned to me.

“‘Peddler?’ he asked.

“‘Yes,’ said I.

“‘What you tradin’ in?’

“‘Oh, silks, laces and so forth,’ rejoined I, repeating my formula.

“‘Humph!’

“He looked at me, narrowing his eyes.

“’You don’t look much like a peddler,” said he.

“‘No, I’ve seen better days,’ I said, with a sigh.

“But I could see that he was still suspicious.

“‘Where’d you come from?’ was his next question.

“‘South,’ said I.

“‘Where you going?’

“‘North.’

“‘Ain’t much on conversation, be yer?’ he asked.

“‘No, I’m not considered a very talkative fellow,’ I rejoined.

“We lapsed into silence.  The man smoked.  I just sat and thought the situation over.  At last supper was announced.  It was eaten almost in silence.  The man discouraged all his wife’s efforts at conversation.  He was sullen and nervous.

“More than ever did I begin to suspect that there was a still in the immediate neighborhood.  Soon after supper I pleaded fatigue and was shown up a flight of stairs, or rather a ladder, to a sort of attic.  There was a husk mattress there, and a pile of rather dirty-looking blankets.  But in those hills you learn to put up with what you can get.  I was glad to have found shelter at all.

“But tired as I was for some reason I couldn’t sleep.  I felt a sort of vague uneasiness.  I heard the man get up and go out and then later on I heard several voices downstairs.

“There were broad chinks in the floor, and through these I could look down.  The men—­there were four of them—­were talking in low voices, but now and then I could catch a word.  All of a sudden I heard one say something about government spy.

“That gave me a shock, I can tell you.  I knew then they were talking about me.  My predicament was a bad one if they suspected me.  I began to look about me for a way to get out.  While doing this I occasionally looked down below.

“The last time I looked I got a shock that made my hair stand.  The fellows were moving about the room.  From one corner one of them got a formidable-looking knife.