" Dave started.
"Sold it?"
"In a way--yes."
"Well, would you mind tellin' me who bought it--maybe I can git it
from him."
"It's mine now," said Hale quietly.
"YOURN!" The mountaineer looked incredulous and then he let loose
a scornful laugh.
"YOU goin' to live thar?"
"Maybe."
"Alone?"
"That's my business." The mountaineer's face darkened and his
fingers began to twitch.
"Well, if you're talkin' 'bout June, hit's MY business. Hit always
has been and hit always will be."
"Well, if I was talking about June, I wouldn't consult you."
"No, but I'd consult you like hell."
"I wish you had the chance," said Hale coolly; "but I wasn't
talking about June." Again Dave laughed harshly, and for a moment
his angry eyes rested on the quiet mill-pond. He went backward
suddenly.
"You went over thar in Lonesome with your high notions an' your
slick tongue, an' you took June away from me. But she wusn't good
enough fer you THEN--so you filled her up with yo' fool notions
an' sent her away to git her po' little head filled with furrin'
ways, so she could be fitten to marry you. You took her away from
her daddy, her family, her kinfolks and her home, an' you took her
away from me; an' now she's been over thar eatin' her heart out
just as she et it out over here when she fust left home.
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