Tico’s illness had cost her much money. He had been given all the care of a gentleman of importance, and had been buried in a formal manner. Now the little French girl was poor, and Tico was gone forever. “Bears,” she repeated, pulling herself together, “bears in the mountains. Wild bears. Not tame ones.” “Yes, wild bears!” the old man said as if taking his cue. “Six ferocious wild bears. I met them all in the Alleghenys—or was it the Rockies?” “The Cumberlands,” laughed Jeanne. “Yes, that’s it, the Cumberlands. Six wild, hungry, man eating bears. They formed a circle about me and sat there on their haunches with their tongues lolling. “They were ready to eat me. And what did I do?” “What did you do?” “I danced and made faces. I can dance; not like fairies. But I can dance and make faces. Want to see me?” Jeanne nodded her head. Springing from his place on the bench, the old man began to dance. And now it was the girl’s turn to open her eyes wide in surprise. This old man was an artist. True, he did not dance as lightly as she. But he knew steps and movements. He had not been on his feet for five minutes when she realized that he could teach her much about her own beloved art. In the joy of dancing he forgot the terrible faces he was to make. At last, quite out of breath, he threw himself down beside her. “You’ve been on the stage,” she said solemnly. “Why, so I have. All my life.” She put out a small hand. “I, too.” Her voice was mellow with emotion. “I am Petite Jeanne.” “Petite Jeanne! I should have guessed it.” “And you?” Jeanne still held his hand. “Plain Dan Baker. A ham actor. You never heard of me. And never will. They won’t let me hoof it in the sticks any more.” “I am not sure of that,” Jeanne’s face was sober. “Once to every man and nation. Your time may come. “But the bears?” She whirled about. “What of the six ferocious bears?” As she turned she saw with a start that a second man, a young man with dark skin and very black eyes, had dropped to the bench on the other side of Dan Baker. Did Dan Baker know this? Was he acquainted with this young man? If so, he made no sign but went straight on with his story. “Oh, yes, the bears!” He chuckled. “There they were, six bears, brown bears; no, grizzlies. There they were ready to eat me. “What did I do? I began dancing and making faces. A bear’s got a sense of humor; oh, yes, a very keen sense of humor. “No time at all till I had ’em; had ’em good. Most appreciative audience you ever saw. “Then, still dancing, I began chucking them hard under their chins, cracking their teeth on their tongues. See! “No time at all and their tongues were so sore they couldn’t swallow. So why try to eat me? “That’s the way they looked at it. Soon as the show was over they left; went right off into the mountains; all but one. “And that one, the biggest one of all, meant to eat me, sore tongue or no tongue at all.