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 father, or the ways of Providence, or the nature of Billy Prentiss. Nor did she know that her uncle, who lived over on the Salt Fort of the Brazos, took an interest in her doings, and knew so much scandal that he actually knew more than ever occurred, in spite of having been once badly "shot up" for talking slander of a prominent citizen of Painted Rock. Indeed there was much that Amandy didn't know, and perhaps she knew as little of her pretty self as she did of anything or anyone else.

Now it happened one bright day in the later spring, when northers were over and the prairie flowers were out, and all things were heavenly, and the cattle were lively and the wind sweet, she put on her sun-bonnet to keep her skin from freckling and took a little walk on the prairie away from the creek. And as she might have expected, and perhaps did expect, she presently saw someone loping towards her, and presently she saw it was Billy Prentiss, and she lifted up her nose, so to speak, and prepared to be "some haughty," as the boys said she