"Heavens, Nancy, you make me feel like a dusty old shoe," exclaimed
Billie, realizing for the first time that she was tired and hot and
crushed. "No, no one has come and Dr. Hume has gone to look for Phoebe's
father." Then she told Nancy of the experiences of the afternoon.

"If the old woman spoke the truth all we have to do is to lie low and
say nothing, like Br'er Rabbit," said Nancy.

"Do you know what I intend to do, Nancy," announced Billie, glancing
through the open door at Phoebe in the distance on the divan. "Phoebe's
awake. You see she's sitting up. I am going to set her fears at rest
about her father first. Then I'm going to take her upstairs and after
she's bathed, I'll dress her in some of my things. She shall swallow her
pride. Cousin Helen shall ask her to visit us until her father is able
to come back, and to-morrow I mean to take her down to the village in
the 'Comet.' She shall wear my best and only pink linen. Won't she be
stunning? I'm glad I took your advice and brought it along now, and
we'll just show these people that Phoebe is not a poor ragged mountain
girl."

"Take anything of mine you want," said Nancy generously. "Phoebe's
taller than I am, but she can wear my 'undies,' I suppose."

"I think I have plenty," replied Billie, "that is, if Alberdina
Schoenbachler ever gets through ironing the pink wash."

Phoebe was a good deal cheered by the message of the old herb gatherer.

"Oh, yes, I know her quite well. She likes me. Once when I had a fever
she came and nursed me for several days and gave me herb tea."

Phoebe also submitted to being dressed up, after a good deal of
persuasion.

"You know we are under a great obligation to you and you must give us a
chance to get rid of a little of it," Billie said. "Besides, Dr. Hume
said that on no account were you to leave the camp. You wouldn't like
to disobey him, would you?"

"No, no," Phoebe answered, and finally permitted herself to be led to
the women's quarter of the camp, where for the first time in her life
she bathed in a porcelain bath tub, with scented soap and toilet water
and sweet smelling talcum powder and violet ammonia and all kinds of
women's luxuries at her service on a hand shelf by the tub.

When Billie proudly led Phoebe downstairs that evening, the others,
already gathered around the supper table, were filled with amazement.
Instead of the ragged, disheveled mountain girl, they saw a beautiful
young woman in a white