" She wrung her hands and turned her poor
twisted body about nervously; then demanded with startling abruptness:
"When do you-all 'low she'll git back?"
The wondering Brian did not at first catch her meaning, and she
continued, with an impatient jerk of her head: "Hit's that there gal
with the no-'count name, Betty Jo, I'm a-talkin' 'bout."
"Oh, you mean Miss Williams," Brian returned. "Why, I suppose she
will be back in two or three weeks, or a month, perhaps; I don't know
exactly, Judy. Why?"
"'Cause I'm a-tellin' you-all not ter let her come back here ever," came
the startling answer, in a voice that was filled with menacing anger.
Then, before Brian could find a word to reply, the mountain girl
continued, with increasing excitement: "You-all dassn't let her come
back here, nohow, 'cause, if you do, I'll hurt her, sure. You-all
have been a-thinkin' as how I was plumb blind, I reckon; but I seen
you,--every evenin', when she'd pretend ter just go for a walk an'
then'd make straight for the clearin' where you was a-choppin', an' then
you'd quit, an' set with her up there on the hill. Youuns never knowed
I was a-watchin' from the bresh all the time, did you? Well, I was; an'
when youuns'd walk down ter the house, so slow like an' close together,
I'd sneak ahead, an' beat you home; but all the time I was a-seein' you,
an' youuns never knowed, 'cause youuns just naturally couldn't see nor
hear nothin' but each other.
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