She laughed and shook her hand, as they rode away, and went into the house and sat down and for a time was like one whose heart is broken.

“Oh, the troubles of the young!” her mother exclaimed, as she kissed her.

“They are ever the wonder of the old!” said Kelso, who stood near.

“I love him!  I love him!” the girl moaned.

“I don’t wonder,” her father answered.  “He is a big, brave, clean lad, and handsome as a Greek god.  He will love you all the better for your self-restraint.  It makes me proud of you, my daughter—­proud of you!  Be of good cheer.  The day of your emancipation may not be long delayed.”

Some two miles down the road Harry found Abe standing between the horses, holding the runaway by his forelock.  The latter was saddled and bridled, while the buggy went on ahead.

“That is a wonderful girl,” said Harry, as he and Abe were riding along together.  “She is very modest and gentle hearted.”

“And as pleasant to look at as the flowery meadows,” Abe answered.

“I have promised to stop there a few minutes on our way back.”

“It is possible Bim could get a divorce,” said Abe, looking down thoughtfully at the mane of his horse.  “I’ll ask Stuart what he thinks about it when I see him again.”

“I hope you’ll see him soon.”

“As soon as I can get to Springfield.”

Brimstead and Abe had a talk together, while Harry went into the house.

“Say, there’s a good many kinds o’ trouble,” said the former, in a low tone, “but one o’ the worst is skunks.  Say, I’ll tell ye, there’s a feller lives over in the woods a few miles from here that had a skunk in a pen.  His name is Hinge.  Somebody had been stealin’ his grain, so the other night he hitched that skunk right under the barn door.  The thief came and the skunk punished him tolerable severe.  The next day Free Collar, the famous Constable, was comin’ up the road from Sangamon County and met that man Biggs on a horse.  Say—­”

Brimstead looked about him and stepped close to Abe and added in a tone of extreme confidence:  “Biggs had left a streak behind him a mile long.  Its home was Biggs.  It had settled down and gone into business on him and was doin’ well and gettin’ a reputation.  Collar coughed and backed away.  For four days he had been chasin’ that man to arrest him.  Biggs had been hid in the woods near Hinge’s cabin an’ had stole grain for his horses.

“‘Here I am,’ said Biggs.  ‘You can have me.  I’m lonesome.’

“’You’ll be lonesomer ‘fore I go near ye,’ says Collar.

“‘I thought you wanted to arrest me,’ says Biggs.

“’Say, man, I’d ‘a’ been glad to see you go to prison for a year or two, but now I’m plum sorry for ye,’ says Collar.  ’A constable who wouldn’t run if he smelt you comin’ would be a durn fool.’

“They started in opposite directions.  In half a minute the Constable hollered to Biggs: