aused her to appear older
than she really was. March, unconsciously and without an effort,
guessed her to be sixteen. He was wrong. She had only seen fifteen
summers.

Her dress was a beautifully dressed deerskin gown, reaching below the
knees, as soft as chamois leather, and ornamented with beads and quill
work. It was girded round her small waist by a leather belt, from which
depended a small hunting-knife. A pair of ornamental leggings of the
same material as the gown covered her limbs, and moccasins her feet,
which latter, as well as her hands, were small and beautifully formed.
Over her shoulders were slung the masculine appendages of a powder-horn
and bullet-pouch, proving that this creature was, so to speak, a Dianic
vision.

Her staring so hard and so long at March without speaking or smiling, or
taking any more notice of him than if he had been an effigy on a
tombstone, seemed unaccountable to that youth. Had he been able to look
at himself from her point of view he would not have been so much
surprised.

In his late accident he had received so severe a blow on the left eye
that that orb was altogether shut up. As he did not move, and as the
other eye, with which he gazed in supreme astonishment at the sweet face
before him, happened to be farthest from the fire, besides being hid in
the shadow of his own nose--which was not a small one by nature, and was
a peculiarly large one by force of recent circumstances--the vision very
naturally thought that he was fast asleep. As she stood there gazing
wonderingly and somewhat sadly at the poor youth, with the red
flickering flame of the fire lighting up her yellow garments, deepening
the red on her round cheeks, glinting on the loose masses of her rich
tresses, and sparkling in the depths of her bright brown eyes, March
thought he had never in all his life before beheld such an exquisite
creature.

Supposing that he was asleep, the vision sat down quietly on a log
beside the fire, still keeping her eyes, however, fixed on her guest.
The action took her out of "the direct line of fire" of March's sound
eye, therefore he turned his head abruptly, and so brought his staring
orb into the light of the fire, and revealed the fact that he was
wide-awake; whereupon the vision uttered an exclamation of surprise,
rose hastily, and went to his side.

"You is woke," she said. "Me tink you was be sleep."

"Asleep!" cried March with enthusiasm, "no, I wasn't asleep