"Are you awake?" she said in a whisper.
Ralph said, "Yes;" and propped himself in a listening attitude.
"You think strange, I reckon, at my comin' to you in this way," she
began. "You've never seen and hardly ever heard of us before. But
when I learned the way your grandpap have treated you, I felt sorry,
and I want to help you what little I can."
"I'm mightily obliged, aunt," replied Ralph, still puzzled how to
connect this friendly wish with the object of such a visit as she was
making tonight.
"Hit was a brother of mine as fought that fight with John Vaughn. I
used to believe in the feud, but I don't now. It's a wicked thing to
seek people's lives. Both sides have suffered enough, Ralph, and I say
let there be peace."
"Amen," muttered the lad heartily.
"But what I wanted to let you know was about this Captain Shard, as
Dopples wants you to go and see. My man never quarrels with
nobody--bless his old soul! Therefore, he never 'spicious that any of
his friends would want to, either. There's where he is wrong."
"Yes; but I don't see how that can apply to Captain Shard, whom I never
heard of before."
"I know you don't, but I do. Captain Shard's mother was a Vaughn.
Now, do you see?"
"Good gracious! But it seems to me as if that don't amount to much.
Why should this man want to hurt me?"
"Hold on. This man Shard's mother was sister to the Vaughn who killed
your father, and whom my brother had fought on account of it.
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