It
ain't hard." And indeed in due course he made arrangements for that on
the table in front of her, so that she might feel easier in being
useful.

"Why, that isn't the dish pan," said she.

Sim Gage flushed with great guiltiness.

"No, ma'am, it ain't. It's only the wash pan. Fact is, some one has
been in this place since I been away, and they stole my dish pan, the
low-down pups. I didn't know as you'd notice the wash pan."

"Well, it will do for once," she said dubiously, and so she went on,
making good shift, wiping the dishes carefully and placing them before
her on the table. Then she laughed. "It was the same with Annie and
me--we only had the one pan. Yours is much larger than ours was. I
always helped with the dishes."

"That's fine," said he. "Do you know, that's the part of keeping house
I always hated more'n anything else, just washing dishes."

"I almost always did that for Annie and me," said Mary Warren, feeling
out with her hands gently and trying to arrange the battered
earthenware upon the table.

"Now," said Sim Gage, "I reckon I'd better get them new blankets in and
make up that bed. Come along, ma'am, and I'll show you." And in spite
of all he took her arm and led her to the side of the rude bunk.

"I'm so tired," she said. "Do you know, I'm awfully scared out here."
Her lips were quivering.

"Ain't a woman a funny thing, though?" said Sim Gage. "No use to be
scared, none a-tall. I'll show you how us folks makes a bed. There's
willer branches and pine underneath, and hay on top. Over that is the
tarp, and now I'm spreading down the blankets. You can feel 'em--soft
ones--_good_ blankets, I can tell you! Whole bed's kind of soft and
springy, ma'am. You reckon you can sleep?"

Responsively she stretched out a hand and felt across the surface of
the soft new blankets.

"Why, where are the sheets?" said she.

"Sheets!" said Sim Gage in sudden consternation. "Now, look at that!
That ornery low-down pup that come and stole my dish pan must of took
all my sheets too! Fact is, I just made it up with blankets, like you
see. But you needn't mind--they're plumb new and clean. Besides, it
gets cold here along toward morning, even in the summer time. Blankets
is best, along toward morning."

She stood hesitant as she heard his feet turning away.

"I'm going away fer a hour or so," said he. "I got to take care of my
horse and things. Now, you feel around with your sti