“Yep, ye bet I know it!  And I’m that happy ’cause I’m to take yer gal a Saturday that I could give ye the hull haul tonight, Lon.”

“Ye needn’t do that, Lem.  I give ye Flea ’cause I want ye to have her, and I know that you’ll make her stand round and mind ye, and if she don’t—­”

“Then I’ll make her!” put in Lem darkly.  “She’ll give back no more bites for my kisses when I get her!  I had a woman a long time ago, and when she didn’t mind me I beat her, and beat her and beat her hard!  That’s the way to do with women folks!”

“Ye had Scraggy, didn’t ye, Lem?” asked Lon, heaping his arm with his clothing.

Flukey stood silently by, his pale face ghastly in the thin, yellow moonlight.

“Yep; but Scraggy wasn’t no good.  I didn’t like her.  I do like Flea, and I’d stick to her, too.  I’d marry her if ye’d say the word.”

“Nope, I ain’t a askin’ ye to marry her.  Yer jest make her stand around, and break her spirit if ye can.  Flea ain’t like Flukey; she’s hard to beat a thing out of.”

“I know how to handle her!” answered Lem.  The silent laughter in his throat ended in a grunt.  He slung a small basket over the hook and went off up the rocks to his scow.

“Ye can go to bed, Flukey,” said Lon.  “Ye’ve done a good night’s work—­and mind ye it ain’t wicked to take what ye want from them havin’ plenty.”

Lon hesitated before proceeding.  “And, Flukey, if ye know what’s good for Flea, don’t be settin’ her up ag’in’ my wishes, ’cause if she don’t do what I tell her it’ll be the worse for her!...  Scoot to bed!”

The boy stood for a moment, opened his lips to plead with the big, sullen squatter for his sister; but, changing his mind, limped off to the cabin.

* * * * *

When the shanty was quiet a girl’s figure shrouded in black curls crawled across the hut floor to the loft ladder.  Flea ascended quickly; but halted at the top to catch her breath.  She could hear from the other side of the partition the sound of Lon’s heavy snores, and from the corner came the lighter breathing of her brother.  Through the small loft window the moonbeams shone, and by them Flea could see the boy’s dark head and strong young arm under the masses of thick hair.

She began to crawl toward the cot, wriggling like a huge worm across the bare boards.  Several times she paused, trying to suppress her frightened heartbeats.  Then, lifting her hand, she placed it over Flukey’s mouth and whispered: 

“Fluke, Fluke, wake up!  It’s Flea!”

Flukey made no movement to dislodge his tightly pressed lips from the trembling fingers.  The gray eyes flashed open; but the lad lay perfectly still.

“Fluke,” breathed Flea, “I’m goin’ to the cave.  Slip on yer pants, and don’t wake Granny Cronk nor Pappy Lon!”

If it had not been that the boy pressed his fingers on the blanket, Flea would have wondered if her brother had heard.