"No, I don't know, Mrs. Davis."
"Did you ever hear any one of them speak of Alton?"
He slowly shook his head.
"Never heard the name of the place before that I know of."
"Oh," Adelle observed in a disappointed tone, "I thought you might know where they came from before the Missouri time."
The mason gave a short, harsh laugh and stuck his pipe back between his teeth.
"I don't see as it makes any odds where they came from," he remarked. "I guess we ain't got any fancy family tree to boast of."
"Well," Adelle observed; and then, recollecting her other intention, she said,—
"Don't you want some flowers or fruit or stuff from the garden? You can't raise much up here."
"No, thanks; I don't want nothin'—much obliged to you."