neck and kissed him, too, whispering, "I loves ye, Dr. Mac, fer thet yo'
loves little children."

The frank embrace embarrassed him a little, and he felt the thrill of an
almost unknown glow in his heart. Many a time his patients--even those
as old as Rose--had kissed him thus; but something in her act left a new
impression. Judged by the standards of the mountain folks she was almost
a woman, and he knew it.

Mike pattered to her door as it closed, scratched upon it with a low
whine, and then lay down close against it.

There was a moment's silence in the room as the men, each busy with his
own thoughts, puffed steadily. Then Big Jerry carefully knocked the
ashes from his pipe and remarked, "Hit haint no fault er yourn,
stranger; but I haint altergether pleased at ther thoughts yo'r comin'
hes placed in my leetle gal's head. She won't easy ferget what yo' done
told her, an' ... an' I couldn't bear fer ter lose her."

"I'm sorry. I spoke without thinking that it might result in her
becoming discontented," answered Don. "To-morrow I'll try to make her
understand--what is a fact--that although her loving heart might be ever
so eager, her ways and those of the city are so utterly different that
she couldn't possibly hope to go there and become a nurse such as I
described. You understand what I mean."

"Yes, an' I'd be powerful obleeged ter ye, friend," replied the old man
with evident relief. "Hit's es yo' say. Rose air er mountain gal by
bringin' up, ef not by birth, an' 'tis hyar thet she rightfully belongs
now."

CHAPTER IV

"SMILES"

"'Not by birth?'" echoed Donald, in surprise. "But I thought that she
was your granddaughter?"

"An' so she be--or perhaps my darter," hastily answered Jerry, realizing
his error too late. "I reckon I shouldn't hev told ye," he added in
distress.

"Don't let any such idea worry you, Mr. Webb. Where she came from is
nothing to me, and, indeed, after to-morrow I shall probably never see
her again. I've got to admit, though, that you have aroused my
curiosity, and I'd like to hear the story that's behind her presence
here, if you are willing to tell it."

The giant hesitated, then said slowly, "Wall, I kaint think of no reason
why yo' shouldn't hyar hit. Hit happened this erway.

"Twar one mornin', thirteen summers ergone, an' I war ergunnin' down in
ther woods er piece, not fur from ther Swift River. I rekerlect hit war
er purty mornin', with ther dew still er-clingi