I'm a black hoodoo, and you'll never prosper till I skip; I'm not fit to marry any woman." Singularly enough, this gave the girl almost instant comfort, and she lifted her head and dried her eyes, and before he left she smiled a little, though her face was haggard and tear stained.
Mose was up early and had his packs ready and Kintuck saddled when Mrs.
Reynolds called him to breakfast.

Cora's pale face and piteous eyes moved him more deeply than her sobbing the night before, but there was a certain inexorable fixedness in his resolution, and he did not falter.
At bottom the deciding cause was Mary.

She had passed out of his life, but no other woman could take her place--therefore he was ready to cut loose from all things feminine.
"Well, Mose, I'm sorry to see you go, I certainly am so," said Reynolds.
"_But_, you ah you' own master.

All I can say is, this old ranch is open to you, and shall be so long as we stay hyer--though I am mighty uncertain how long we shall be able to hold out agin this new land-boom.
You had better not stay away too long, or you may miss us.

I reckon we ah all to be driven to the mountains very soon." "I may be back in the spring.