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and didn't have no weapon with him, which was blame' foolishness, and in a lone-

some place he hears a horse a-coming behind him, and sees old Baldy Shepherd-

son a-linkin' after him with his gun in his hand and his white hair a-flying in the

wind; and 'stead of jumping off and taking to the brush, Bud 'lowed he could

outrun him; so they had it, nip and tuck, for five mile or more, the old man

a-gaining all the time; so at last Bud seen it warn't any use, so he stopped and

faced around so as to have the bullet holes in front, you know, and the old man

he rode up and shot him down. But he didn't git much chance to enjoy his

luck, for inside of a week our folks laid him out."

"I reckon that old man was a coward, Buck."

"I reckon he warn't a coward. Not by a blame' sight. There ain't a coward

amongst them Shepherdsons -- not a one. And there ain't no cowards amongst

the Grangerfords, either. Why, that old man kep' up his end in a fight one day,

for a half an hour, against three Grangerfords, and come out winner. They was

all a-horseback; he lit off of his horse and got behind a little wood-pile, and kep'

his horse before him to stop the bullets; but the Grangerfords staid on their

horses and capered around the old man, and peppered away at him, and he

peppered away at them. Him and his horse both went home pretty leaky and

crippled, but the Grangerfords had to be fetched home -- and one of 'em was

dead, and another died the next day. No, sir, if a body's out hunting for

cowards, he don't want to fool away any time amongst them Shepherdsons, becuz

they don't breed any of that kind." ssssssssss

Next Sunday we all went to church, about three mile, everybody a-horseback.

The men took their guns along, so did Buck, and kept them between their knees

or stood them handy against the wall. The Shepherdsons done the same. It

was pretty ornery preaching -- all about brotherly love, and such-like tiresomeness;

but everybody said it was a good sermon, and they all talked it over going

home, and had such a powerful lot to say about faith, and good works, and free

grace, and preforeordestination, and I don't know what all, that it did seem to

me to be one of the roughest Sundays I had run across yet.

About an hour after dinner everybody was dozing around, some in their chairs

and some in their rooms, and it got to be pretty dull. Buck and a dog was

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