What did she mean?
What was the hidden part of her life?
What was the connection between her and Shocky?
Hours wore on, and still the mind of Ralph Hartsook went back and traveled the same road, over the fence, past the box-elder, up to the inexplicable part of the conversation, and stood bewildered with the same puzzling questions about the bound girl's life.
At last he got up, drew on his clothes, and sat down on the top of the ladder, looking down over the blue-grass pasture which lay on the border between the land of Jones and the land of Means.

The earth was white with moonlight.

He could not sleep.

Why not walk?
It might enable him to sleep.

And once determined on walking, he did not hesitate a moment as to the direction in which he should walk.