pulling your
hair."

"Pulling my hair," murmured Bauer, in astonishment.

"Yes," said Clifford, winking one eye. "Pulling it as if she wanted a
lock to remember you by. But that's nothing. You ought to see Miss Gray
pull two Hopis out of the river one day last winter. That was just above
the Black Falls. A Hopi can't swim any more than a sailor. But they
never cut their hair, so it's just made for rescue work. You're the
fifth person Miss Gray has pulled out of this so-called stream. She's
entitled to that many Carnegie medals, but no one knows about it down
east and our daily papers here at Tolchaco never mention such common
events as rescue from drowning. That isn't news."

Bauer was silent for several minutes as Clifford resumed his work. He
had been obliged to thread a needle and in the process had put the end
of the thread in his mouth.

"You don't mind if I ask more questions? It's all so remarkable here and
all that's happened. I would like------"

"Don't hesitate. It is one of the rules of the Mission here never to get
offended, no matter what anyone says. You couldn't hurt our feelings if
you tried."

"And I don't want to try. I don't know how I'm going to express my
thanks for all you have done, and especially to Miss Gray."

"That is a kind of difficult place, isn't it? Now I was never rescued by
anyone; and I don't know just what I would say. 'Thank you' sounds kind
of tame. Perhaps you could throw it into German and make it sound
better."

Bauer looked embarrassed and Clifford at once hastened to say.

"Don't worry over a little matter like that. You don't need to say
anything about it. Miss Gray will say she was only too glad to do it,
no trouble at all, don't think of such a thing, etc. You know how the
ladies talk. If you go to say anything about it that's what she will
say, ten to one. You needn't be afraid she'll ask you to marry her or
anything like that."

Bauer blushed furiously and Clifford laughed so heartily that Bauer
could not help joining him, although he had never met anyone like
Clifford and did not exactly understand him.

"Tell me about yourself, Mr. Clifford. I'm not a native of Vermont but I
am curious and I've been wondering as I lay in the hogan what your
position here was, if you will pardon me?"

"Pardon you?" said Clifford cheerfully, as he proceeded to punch holes
in a tug. "There's nothing I like to talk about so much as myself. You
couldn't hit on a more interesti