Page:Randall Parrish - The Red Mist.djvu/331

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The Cane Ridge Meeting House
311

"No doubt; Pickney will be raving, and Raymond crazy to get hand on me. Ay! there will be some galloping of troopers. I should have liked to see Fox's face when he heard the news; by heavens! they are like enough to charge him with conspiracy, for he was officer of the day. However I do not greatly fear them; they will make noise enough to warn us, and couldn't track a bear. It is the mountain men we must guard against; they are wolves. You slept well?"

"After the first half hour. I am rested, and strong. Shall we go now?"

"When we have eaten. There may be no other opportunity, and there is ample time. You might even sleep another hour."

"Oh, no, I could not," and she gave a gesture significant. "It was only complete exhaustion that gave me sleep before. I would rather feel we were making way through the cordon of our enemies."

"I am glad you say 'our.'"

"I can scarcely do otherwise, sir," she said, just a bit archly, "for does not this cloak make me a 'gray-back?'"

"You wear the colors; ay! with not a tinge of blue about you."

"You forget the eyes; all my loyalty is centered there."