Smiles | Page 5

have something to laugh about, but dev ... deucedly
sorry that I made you burn yourself, child," answered Donald,
awkwardly. "It must hurt like the ... the mischief," he added, as he
stepped forward to examine the injury with a quick return to his
professional manner.
"Wall, hit do burn, kinder. But taint nothin'." She sniffed bravely, but a

tear overflowed its reservoir and made a channel through a smudge on
her cheek.
"Well, I happen to be a doctor--when I'm not on a vacation--so I can do
a little toward repairing the damage I caused." He was already
unfastening the small first-aid kit which experience had taught him
never to go without.
"Taint nothin', sir, really. I'll jest put some lard on hit, an' ..." began the
girl, timidly backing away.
Donald did not stop to argue, but placed his strong hands on either side
of her slender waist and lifted her lightly to the homemade table, while
she gasped and again the wonderful smile, more shy this time,
transformed her tear-stained face. In silence, and with flying,
experienced fingers, the physician applied a soothing salve to the
blotchy red, fast-swelling burn on the ankle, and deftly bandaged it.
"There," he said. "You won't know, in a few minutes, that anything has
happened."
"Thank ye, sir," said the girl, as he lifted her again and allowed her to
slip gently to the floor. "Yo' shore knows how ter do up a foot."
She hopped gingerly over to the fireplace, and began to clear up the
wreck of supper, first calmly lifting the dog away from the steaming
hot meat which his quivering nose was inquisitively approaching.
"Be careful. Mike might ..."
"Oh, he won't bite me." She broke into his warning, and gave a playful
tug at the coarse hair on the animal's neck. Somewhat to Donald's
surprise, the dog wiggled ecstatically at the friendly advances and paid
his lowly homage by licking her bare foot.
"Never mind that mess, I'll clean it up if you'll get me a shovel. And of
course I mean to pay for it," said Donald hastily.

"In course yo' won't do no sech thing. We-all's got plenty uv
pertaties,--I growed 'em myself,--this yere meat haint hurt a mite, an'
water's cheap," she responded. "Yo' jest take a cheer, mister, an' yo' kin
hev supper along with us as soon as grandpap comes, which'll be right
soon, I reckon. We-all don't see stranger folks much up yere, an' he'll
be plumb glad thet ye drapped in." She tossed a morsel of meat to the
expectant Mike; then added shyly, "An' so be I."
"Well, I certainly 'drapped,'" laughed Donald. "It looked as though all
the dogs south of the Mason-Dixon line had gathered to give Mike and
me a warm, if not cordial, welcome, so we didn't stop to knock before
coming in."
"Lucky fer ye thet yo' struck a cabin whar the latch string air allus out,"
she answered, her silver laughter echoing his. "I hadn't a' ought ter hev
been so skeered, but I warn't payin' no attention ter all the barkin', fer I
jest allowed thet the dawgs hed treed a coon, er somep'n. Yo' see they
haint exactly fond o' strangers, an' they be powerful fierce. I reckon
they'd hev gobbled Mike right up."
Donald glanced affectionately at the wiry mass of bone and sinew
which went to make the police dog every inch a warrior, and doubted it.
The child had finished her task, and started the stew to heating again
over the fire, and now she turned, swept back the mass of curls from
her heated face with a graceful motion of her shapely arm, and stood
regarding him with frank curiosity. Donald had no intention of
remaining longer, or accepting the hospitable invitation, but there was a
touch of romance in the adventure, and a strong appeal in the girl
herself, which caused him to hesitate, and linger to ask a few questions
about the neighborhood and her life. When he did regretfully pick up
his cap and rifle, and call the dog, who turned protestingly from
her-who-dispensed-savory-pieces-of-meat, he found that he had
suffered the fate of all who hesitate, for a glance through the window
showed him that, although the glowing, iridescent reflection from the
western sky still lingered in the mountain top, embroidering its edge
with gold, it was fast fading, and already Night had spread her dusky
mantle over the eastern slope. Already darkness had blotted out the

lower reaches.
CHAPTER II
ENTER BIG JERRY
As Donald stopped, uncertain, there came the sound of measured,
heavy footfalls on the beaten dirt path outside the cabin. The girl's face
lighted up joyfully; she hopped to the door, flung it open, and a slightly
stooping, but gigantic, form stepped