t without you."

"Oh!" she gasped, stepping back and staring at me through the swiftly
changing lights of her awakening. "Surely," she caught her breath again,
"surely you're not the--you _can't_ be!"

"I am," I smiled, holding out my hand. "The man you gave the paper ball
to."

Impulsively she clasped it in both of her own, swaying slightly toward
me and looking her gratitude through eyes brim-full of tears--but the
angels be my witness that spoken words have never been so eloquent!
Then she began to laugh--a little wildly, a little hysterically--so I
said:

"It's all right--you're safe here, absolutely! I watched last night and
there wasn't the slightest sign of anyone. You see, Smilax--that's
Tachachobee, but we call him Smilax because he smiles--well, he and
Echochee purposely led those fellows up the coast, and they'll keep on
leading them any-old-where until it's safe to join us here. It's been
carefully planned out. However, I'll tell you everything
after--after----" I looked ruefully at the shriveled black stuff now
incinerated on the bottom of my skillet, adding: "but there isn't going
to be any after; it's all burned up!"

She had pluckily taken herself in hand by now and, following my dejected
stare, cried:

"Is _that_ our breakfast? Heavens, what a calamity! But show me where
the things are and I'll cook another!"

"You'll soil your fingers," I hesitatingly protested.

"Soil my fingers! Of course, I will; but there's no scarcity of water,
nor of my appetite, either--and we can't possibly eat what you cook!"

"Oh, I don't know," I said, just a little touchily. "I'm a pretty good
sort of a cook, I am!" Often have I noticed how the majority of men get
touchy about their cooking.

"The evidence is convincing," she laughed. "Where do you keep your
stores? Hurry, please do, if you don't want a fainting woman on your
hands. I'm starved!"

Now I saw that some of this was being put on; that it was the slackening
of tightly pulled nerves; so I encouraged her as far as I dared without
being suspected, knowing that it is best to open all vents when one's
feelings have been dangerously pent up. As to my ability to cook!--why,
there were extenuating circumstances governing this breakfast that
should have excused it. Some day I'd surprise her.

I changed that idea quickly enough when she took charge, however, for in
ten minutes there were two or three things sizzling and sending out an
aroma that might have