ty that presented itself, he
confided his fears to Thad, knowing full well that the boy was something
of a doctor, in his way.

So the scoutmaster sat down beside Cale. He saw that the other was
getting back to something like his normal self, now that he had in a
measure recovered from the exhaustion resulting from his fight for life
with the flames.

"Did you get badly hurt anywhere, in the fire?" Thad asked, trying to
put on a professional look, so as to inspire some confidence in the old
man.

The giant for the first time, seemed to wake up. He felt of his head,
and winced a little as though it pained him.

"Ther burns they don't amount ter much," he said, in his heavy voice;
"but thar be a bad bump on my head as hurts sum."

"Let me look at it," asked the boy. "I've picked up some knowledge of
medicine, and perhaps I can do something to make it seem better; if
nothing else, cold water may reduce the feverish feeling some."

And Cale allowed him to examine his big head, with its mass of hair that
was like a lion's mane in thickness, having been protected from the fire
by the skin cap he wore. Perhaps it was the presence of that same cap,
as also the shock of hair, that had saved Cale from having a broken
skull; he certainly did have a lump there as large as an egg, that must
have been very painful; and it was no wonder he had seemed dazed at the
time he rushed into his cabin, hardly knowing why he came there, unless
he had been laboring under the impression that Little Lina was still
waiting to be saved from the fire.

Fortunately Thad happened to be carrying a little bottle of witch hazel
in his haversack, which he often found exceedingly useful. This he got
out, and after warning the other that it might sting a little at first,
he poured some of the extract on the lump; and then wetting a piece of
rag with it, he laid this over the wound, Cale's cap holding it in
place.

"That's all I can do for you," Thad said. "But it's not a serious thing,
and in a few days you'll be all over it. But you must have had a fearful
knock. Was it a limb that fell on you?"

"Just what it war, younker," replied Cale; "an' it's a feelin' better
some, already."

Thad moved back. He seemed to know that Jim was just itching to have a
few words with his father-in-law; and that the opportunity seemed ripe.
Besides, Thad was more or less curious to know just what that clinching
argument might be, which Jim meant to advance, and w