big tree now and Hale dismounted to fix his girth for the descent.

"Well, I'm mighty glad you came, little girl. I might never have seen
you."

"That's so," said June. "I saw the print of your foot in the mud right
there."

"Did ye?"

"And if I hadn't, I might never have gone down into Lonesome Cove." June
laughed.

"You ran from me," Hale went on.

"Yes, I did: an' that's why you follered me." Hale looked up quickly.
Her face was demure, but her eyes danced. She was an aged little thing.

"Why did you run?"

"I thought yo' fishin' pole was a rifle-gun an' that you was a raider."
Hale laughed--"I see."

"'Member when you let yo' horse drink?" Hale nodded. "Well, I was on a
rock above the creek, lookin' down at ye. An' I seed ye catchin' minners
an' thought you was goin' up the crick lookin' fer a still."

"Weren't you afraid of me then?"

"Huh!" she said contemptuously. "I wasn't afeared of you at all, 'cept
fer what you mought find out. You couldn't do no harm to nobody without
a gun, and I knowed thar wasn't no still up that crick. I know--I knowed
whar it was." Hale noticed the quick change of tense.

"Won't you take me to see it some time?"

"No!" she said shortly, and Hale knew he had made a mistake. It was too
steep for both to ride now, so he tied the bundle to the cantle with
leathern strings and started leading the horse. June pointed to the edge
of the cliff.

"I was a-layin' flat right thar and I seed you comin' down thar. My,
but you looked funny to me! You don't now," she added hastily. "You look
mighty nice to me now--!"

"You're a little rascal," said Hale, "that's what you are." The little
girl bubbled with laughter and then she grew mock-serious.

"No, I ain't."

"Yes, you are," he repeated, shaking his head, and both were silent for
a while. June was going to begin her education now and it was just as
well for him to begin with it now. So he started vaguely when he was
mounted again:

"June, you thought my clothes were funny when you first saw them--didn't
you?"

"Uh, huh!" said June.

"But you like them now?"

"Uh, huh!" she crooned again.

"Well, some people who weren't used to clothes that people wear over
in the mountains might think THEM funny for the same reason--mightn't
they?" June was silent for a moment.

"Well, mebbe, I like your clothes better, because I like you better,"
she said, and Hale laughed.

"Well, it's just the same--the way people in the mountai