Shake."
Clayton shuddered. Good heavens! this was Easter's father! More
than once or twice, his name had never been mentioned at the
cabin.
I tuk ye fer a raider," continued the old mountaineer, not noticing
Clayton's repulsion, "'n' ef ye had 'a' been, ye wouldn't be nobody
now. I reckon Easter hain't told ye much about me, 'n' I reckon she
hev a right to be a leetle ashamed of me. I had a leetle trouble
down thar in the valley-I s'pose you've heerd about it-'n' I've had to
keep kind o' quiet. I seed ye once afore, 'n' I come near shootin'
ye, thinkin' ye was a raider. Am mighty glad I didn't, fer Easter is
powerful sot on ye. Sherd thought I could resk comm' down to the
wed-din'. They hev kind o' give up the s'arch, 'n' none o' the boys
won't tell on me. We'll have an old-timer, I tell ye. Ye folks from the settle-mints air mighty high-heeled, but old Bill Hicks don't allus go bar'footed. He kin step purty high, 'n' he's a-goin' to do it at that weddin'. Hev somefin?" he asked, suddenly pulling out a flask of colorless liquid. "Ez ye air to be one o' the fambly, I don't mind tellin' ye thar's the very moonshine that caused the leetle trouble down in the valley."
For fear of giving offence, Clayton took a swallow of the liquid,
which burned him like fire. He had scarcely recovered from the
first shock, and he had listened to the man and watched him with a
sort of enthralling fascination.
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