t time. I now ask your forgiveness for my
impatience and anger toward you to-day."

He held out his hand, but to his surprise Dane stepped quickly to the
other side of the narrow brook.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Colonel asked. "Shall we not be
friends?"

In reply Dane smiled and stretched out his hand, which the Colonel
immediately grasped.

"This is the Indian custom," Dane explained. "While the grass grows,
the sun shines, and the water flows, we will be friends."

"Amen," broke fervently from the Colonel's lips.

And there across that little stream youth and age clasped hands, and a
bond of friendship was formed which not even death itself could break.

CHAPTER XI

THE SUMMONS

There was a flutter of excitement at the settlement when the betrothal
of the Colonel's daughter and the King's courier became known. The
young people, especially, were quite excited, and discussed it in the
most animated manner. But it did not end in talk, for they decided to
celebrate the event that very evening. In every home preparations were
soon under way, and the women vied with one another in the culinary
art. Jean was to know nothing about what was taking place, hence a
careful watch was kept upon her movements. Old Mammy was let into the
secret, and her face beamed with pleasure as the news was whispered
into her ear.

"And you must not tell, Mammy," was the warning. "We want you to know
so that you can help us to keep the secret from Jean until the right
minute."

"Why, bress yo' life," the faithful servant replied, "dis ol' colored
woman won't say nuffin'. She nebber knows nuffin', anyway, 'cept to
hol' her tongue at de right time, which is more'n mos' folks kin do.
An' doan yo' worry 'bout Missie Jean takin' any hint of what's goin'
on. She's in lub, an' when a pusson's in lub, she's so near to heaben
dat she doan pay much heed to what's goin' on 'round her. An' dat's de
way wif Missie Jean."

Of all this excitement and innocent deception Jean was totally unaware.
Part of the morning she played with the little Indian child along the
shore, and rambling in the woods a short distance from the house. Much
of the afternoon she spent in the canoe upon the water. She visited
again the place up the creek under the big maple, and recalled the
happy day when she and Dane had been last there, and the words of love
which had been breathed into her ears. Taking the arrow-pin in her
hand, she loo