Suddenly she heard the crunching of a man’s heavy footsteps on the gravel, back of them.  Turning, she saw that the newcomer was the Colonel, and the Colonel in great haste.  This was most impressive, for the Colonel did not often hurry.

“Here comes the Colonel, Frank,” she said, “and see how he is hurrying!”

“Something’s up,” her nephew answered, “when the Colonel hurries.”  Then, as the horseman came up to them:  “Why, Colonel, what’s the matter?”

“A shock!  A regular shock!  As I came from Lexington, just now, I saw you standing here, so I sent the boy on with the buggy and cut across to meet you.  Just as I passed the thicket by the spring I caught a glimpse of a man, who then vanished like a ghost, but I swear that man was that lank mountaineer, Joe Lorey, and that he tried to keep out of my sight.”

“Joe Lorey!” Frank exclaimed.  “What can he want down here?”

“Who knows?  Maybe to finish the work he began in the mountains.”

“More than likely,” Holton ventured.  “A rifleshot in the back, or a match touched to a building.”

“I don’t believe it,” Frank said stoutly.  “The man who laid down his weapons to give me a fair, square fight, wouldn’t stoop to things like that.”

“’Pears to me the man who fired that bomb ’u’d do most anythin’,” said Holton.

“That was in a fit of anger.  Lorey swore to Madge that he thought better of his impulse to do murder, stamped upon the burning fuse, and believed that he had put it out, and I believe him.”

He saw, now, that his aunt was badly frightened, and cautioned the other men.  “Not another word about him, now, at any rate, or Aunt ’Lethe won’t once close her eyes to-night.”

“Well,” said the Colonel, quite agreeing with him and hastening to change the subject, “here’s something much more interesting, anyway.  A letter from the Company.  Looks official and important.”

Frank took the letter, opened it and gazed at it in some dismay.  “I should think so,” he exclaimed.  “An assessment of $15,000 on my stock.”

“Fifteen thousand devils!”

“No; fifteen thousand dollars.”

The Colonel took the letter from his hand and looked at it with worried eyes.  “And you’ve got to meet it, Frank, or lose what you’ve put in.”

Miss Alathea went to her nephew anxiously.  “You’ll sell Queen Bess, now, won’t you?” she implored.  “You could pay it then.  Best sell her.”

The young man stood there, deep in worried thought.  “If I were quite convinced of the Company’s good faith in everything, I’d risk it all, even the loss of Woodlawn, my old home,” he answered.

Neb now appeared from around a corner of the stable, evidently having decided that the girl had had enough time for her toilet, or afraid to wait another minute.  His appearance created a diversion.

“Here, Neb,” said Frank, “we’ve had enough nonsense.  Let’s see Queen Bess, now.”