tenderly:

"So you've come to yourself at last, dearie, and beginning to worrit the
fust thing because all your beautiful long curly hair is cut off! But
never mind, chile; it will grow again as pretty as ever all over in
shiny leetle rings like a babby's; and I was jest obleeged to crop it
off to save your sweet life, you had the fever so miserable bad."

"Where am I?" Dainty repeated, in amazement, her gaze lingering
confidently on the homely but gentle face before her and receiving in
return the smiling reply:

"Where you are is soon told, honey; you're in a logging-camp, where my
husband and nine grown sons are running a saw-mill till the first of
October, way up in the mountings, where we hain't seen but two faces
besides our own sence we come here the first day of April. It's 'bout
six weeks sence my husband found you at day-break, lying sick and raving
on the bank of the trout stream where he was fishing for our breakfast,
and brought you home with him. I gin you my best bed, and been nussin'
you all this while like you was my own darter, which I never had one,
but al'ays hankered arter one; but the good Lord He sent me sons every
time till I've nine on 'em; and I'm past fifty, and no more hopes of a
darter now, though there'll be darters-in-law a-plenty, no doubt, when
my boys begin to mate. Well, now you know all you ast me about, chile,
and I'm jest as cur'us over you. What mought your name be, and wherever
did you drap from, anyway?"

"I--I don't know," Dainty faltered, weakly, with a bewildered air.

"Sho! you don't know? Ah, well! I see how 'tis. Your memory ain't come
back clear yet; and no wonder, after sech a hard sickness as you've come
through! Never mind, dearie, it'll all come back arter awhile. Are you
hungry now?"

"Thirsty!" faltered the girl; and like a flash the past came back to
her, conjured up by that single word, presenting to her mind the dark,
noisome cell where she had suffered so terribly with the cruel, burning
fever and the terrible thirst, until longing for death, she had pressed
the bitter poison to her parched lips.

Then all was blank till now, and she wondered feebly how she had escaped
death, and still more, how she had been released from her terrible
captivity, and been brought here to this remote mountain camp.

The woman gave her a draught of clear, cold, sparkling water that
cleared her faculties immensely, and closing her heavy-lidded eyes
again, she began to recall