"It seems to me," said the delighted Gabriel, "that somebody else hez been dressin' up and makin' a toylit, sence I've been away. Hev you been in the ditches agin, Olly?" "No," said Olly, with some dignity of manner, as she busied herself in setting the table for supper. "But I reckon I never seen ye look so peart afore, Olly; who's been here?" he added, with a sudden alarm. "Nobody," said Olly; "I reckon some folks kin get along and look decent without the help of other folks, leastways of Susan Markle." At this barbed arrow Gabriel winced slightly. "See yer, Olly," said Gabriel, "ye mustn't talk thet way about thet woman. You're only a chile--and ef yer brother did let on to ye, in confidence, certing things ez a brother may say to his sister, ye oughtn't say anythin' about it." "Say anythin'!" echoed Olly, scornfully; "do you think I'd ever let on to thet woman ennything? Ketch me!" Gabriel looked up at his sister in awful admiration, and felt at the depths of his conscience-stricken and self-deprecatory nature that he didn't deserve so brave a little defender. For a moment he resolved to tell her the truth, but a fear of Olly's scorn and a desire to bask in the sunshine of her active sympathy withheld him. "Besides," he added to himself, in a single flash of self-satisfaction, "this yer thing may be the makin' o' thet gal yet. Look at thet collar, Gabriel! look at thet hair, Gabriel! all your truth-tellin' never fetched outer thet purty child what thet one yarn did." Nevertheless, as Gabriel sat down to his supper he was still haunted by the ominous advice and counsel he had heard that day. When Olly had finished her meal, he noticed that she had forborne, evidently at great personal sacrifice, to sop the frying-pan with her bread. He turned to her gravely-- "Ef you wus ever asked, Olly, ef I had been sweet upon Mrs. Markle, wot would ye say?" "Say," said Olly savagely, "I'd say that if there ever was a woman ez had run arter a man with less call to do it--it was Mrs. Markle--that same old disgustin' Susan Markle. Thet's wot I'd say, and I'd say it--to her face! Gabe, see here!" "Well," said the delighted Gabriel. "Ef that school-ma'am comes up here, do you jest make up to her!" "Olly!" ejaculated the alarmed Gabriel. "You jest go for her! You jest do for her what you did for that Susan Markle. And jest you do it, if you can, Gabe--when Mrs. Markle's around--or afore little Manty--she'll go and tell her mother--she tells her everything. I've heerd, Gabe, that some o' them school-ma'ams is nice." In his desire to please Olly, Gabriel would have imparted to her the story of his adventure in the cañon, but a vague fear that Olly might demand from him an instant offer of his hand and heart to the woman he had saved, checked the disclosure. And the next moment there was a rap at the door of the cabin.