ure had been accomplished, and his anxiety a thing of the past.

"I shud say he war," replied the girl, a little aroused now. "Say, he
done _cry_, thet's what. Reckons as how he mout a be'n sorry fur not
promisin' like they wanted long ergo. He arsks as how yer looked, an' ef
yer mam war still well. Caus I cudn't tell him a heap, 'cause I didn't
know; but I sez ter him thet yer hed kim hyar ter fotch 'im home, an'
it'd be a shame ef yer hed ter go back erlone, jest 'cause he wanted ter
be ugly. So he says as how he'd be'n athinkin', an' mout change his mind
'bout thet thar promise."

"Oh! to think of it, Thad," Bob breathed, gripping the arm of his
staunch chum eagerly; "my father is alive after all these terrible
months; and perhaps he'll even go home with me. It's worth all I've
suffered ten times, yes a thousand times over."

"You deserve all the happiness there can be going, Bob, sure you do,"
declared the scoutmaster, positively. "I guess nothing could be too good
for you. But we don't just understand yet how this is going to be
brought about. Will Phin Dady let him go free if he makes that promise,
Polly?"

"Shore, he's jest _got_ ter, now," the girl answered, with a little
chuckle. "Yer see, like I sez afore, things, have changed a heap now,
an' my dad, he hain't a feelin' thet sore agin ther marshal like he used
ter. An' Bob Quail, even ef he warn't gwine ter do hit, arter wat I
larned this same night, I tells yer I'd set yer dad free on my own
'count."

"What did you learn?" asked Thad, curiously, seeing that apparently the
girl could not of her own free will tell a story, but it had to be drawn
from her piece meal, through the means of questions.

"I war acomin' down ther mounting," she began, "an' 'bout harf way hyah
I seen thet ther lights war a movin' down in ther valley. So I jest
natchally stopped ter read what ther news was, 'spectin' thet it meant
trouble fur you-uns. But the more I reads ther more I gits wise ter ther
fack thet yer be'n an' done hit sum moah."

"Yes," said Thad, encouragingly, though already he understood what was
coming.

"'Pears like 'tain't enuff fur yer ter skeer off thet cat, an' keep me
from agittin' my face clawed handsome, but yer must go an' save ther
life o' my uncle Cliff. I reads thet he was hurt bad by Nate's gun goin'
off, an' bleedin' a heap, so's they feels sure he never kin be took
'crost ter the doc's alive. Then they jest happen on yer camp down
thar; an' s