nto the stranger's face." (24-25.)]

"We eat in the kitchen. It is mighty warm in there, though, in the
summer time with fire in the stove. We thought we would do a little
better by you than that," said Foresta apologetically. She sat down to
keep the young woman's company while the latter was eating.

"That was Bud Harper that brought you here last night," said Foresta,
unable to repress a smile over some pleasing thought that was passing
through her mind.

The young woman looked up from her breakfast. "My!" she said, "Your eyes
are pretty. They are such a lovely brown."

"I'll swap hair with you," said Foresta, feeling of her own hair and
looking admiringly at the wealth of beautiful black hair on the young
woman's head.

"You would cheat yourself. Your hair isn't as long as mine, but it is so
black and lovely," said the young woman.

Looking at Foresta from head to foot, plainly but neatly dressed, the
young woman remarked, "You are a pretty girl, Foresta--and a good girl,"
pausing between the former and the latter complimentary reference.

Foresta's kindly face lighted up with joy at the compliment. For some
time she had felt, without knowing what it was that she felt, the need
of a confidante--some one with a fellow-feeling to whom she could talk.

"Something funny happened once about Bud Harper and----"

"Yourself," said the young woman, with a sweet, knowing look.

"Yes," admitted Foresta with a light laugh, pleased that the young woman
was entering so readily into the spirit of the recital. "Bud had a
brother Dave that looked just like him," said Foresta. "Almost, I mean,"
she added, remembering that nobody was to be put on a level with Bud.
"Poor Dave is dead now," she said in sad tones, looking the young woman
fully in the face as if making a further study of her.

Satisfied with the result of the inspection, Foresta now said in a
confidential tone: "Dave died in the penitentiary. He and a white man
got in a fight. Dave killed him in self-defense. Dave could have come
clear, but it wouldn't have done any good. He would have been lynched.
His lawyers advised him to take a twenty years' sentence to satisfy the
clamor, and said they were sure they could get him a pardon. All of
Dave's friends thought it was better to take his chances with a good
governor rather than a mob."

Foresta's eyes now filled with tears. "It did hurt poor Dave so to go to
the penitentiary. He was such a good-hearted boy. He d