o the rescue. She saw a tall, gaunt
man, attired in ragged clothes, bending forward with ready rifle, to be
prepared to take a second shot if necessary.

"I don't reckon he'll bother any one no more," said this man, with a
satisfied chuckle, as he leaned on his gun, the butt of which he dropped
to the ground. "I got him right in the head."

"Oh--we--we can't thank you enough!" gasped Alice. "The--the children--"
but her voice choked, and she could not speak.

"Wa'al, I reckon he _might_ have clawed 'em a bit," admitted the man with
the gun. "And perhaps it's jest as well I come along when I did. You
folks live around here? Don't seem like I've met you befo'."

"We're a company of moving picture actresses and actors," explained
Alice, while Ruth, making a detour to avoid the dead body of the animal,
went to Tommy and Nellie, who were still holding on to each other.

"Picture-players; eh?" mused the hunter, for such he evidently was. "I
seen a movin' picture once, and it looked as real as anything. Be you
folks on that steamer?"

"The _Magnolia_--yes," answered Alice, as her sister led the children up
to her.

"You're all right now, dearies," said Ruth. "The nice man killed the bad
bear."

"Excuse me, Miss; but that ain't a bear," said the hunter, with a pull at
his ragged cap that was meant for a bow. "It's a bobcat--mountain lion
some folks calls 'em--and I don't know as I ever saw one around this
neighborhood before. Mostly they're farther to the no'th. This must be a
stray one."

"Oh, but it might have killed us all if you had not been here," Ruth went
on.

"Oh, no, Miss, beggin' your pardon. It wouldn't have been as bad as that.
Most-ways these bobcats would rather run than fight. I reckon if it had
seen you young ladies it would have run."

"Are we as scary as all that?" asked Alice, with a nervous little laugh.

"Oh, no, Miss. I didn't mean it that way at all," said the man. "I beg
your pardon, I'm sure. But a bobcat won't hardly ever attack a grown
person, unless it's cornered. I reckon this one must have been riled
about suthin' and thought to claw up the tots a bit. I happened to be
around, so I jest natcherally plunked him--beggin' your pardon for
mentionin' the matter."

"It was awfully good of you," murmured Ruth, who had Tommy's and Nellie's
hands now.

"Won't you tell us who you are?" asked Alice, as she introduced herself
and her sister.

"Who--me? Oh, I'm Jed Moulton," replied the hunt