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"Gone to Ithacy," replied Tessibel, and without change of expression or color caught the floundering fish in her dirty fingers

"I air a hittin' the little devil on the head with a stone," said she, and with a pointed rock she expertly tapped the fish three tiain ives Tessibel rinned Jake Brewer, but Ben Letts broke in

"How be yer toad to-day, Tessibel?"

This he said with a e hunk of tobacco and enerous mouthful therefro the blue water with her eye, she sent a flat stone skipping across it Then with darkening face she wheeled about upon the heavy squatter

"But air it any of yer business howJake in the ribs with his bare elbow, "only I thought as how he et at him"

"Dead--dead, who said as how he air dead? Ye in't been a rubberin' in his hole, have ye, Ben Letts?"

Ben only laughed in reply

"Ye have, Ben Letts, ye have, da above the fisher to the deep copper of her hair "Take that, and that, and that"

She had snatched the long fish froers, and with swift swirls slapped it thrice into the fisher out the soldarned," gasped Letts, "and I'll be goldarned twice if I don't get even with her soht, and if hell fire don't get her, it'll be 'cause she air burned up by her own cussed wickedness"

He rubbed his face frantically with the soiled sleeve of his shirt, spitting out the scales and blood that hat lodged between his dark-colored teeth

"Ye're always a torman; "now if ye was only satisfied to let her alone, I air a thinkin' that she wouldn't bother ye Tess air a good girl, for Myry says as how she can hush the brat when he air a howlin' like a nigger"

"She'll cast a spell over him, that's what she will," muttered Ben Letts "Her rasshopper, and so can Tess Once she whispered ten off frohin' at the idee"