fer a still."

"Weren't you afraid of me then?"

"Huh!" she said contemptuously. "I wasn't afeared of you at all,
'cept fer what you mought find out. You couldn't do no harm to
nobody without a gun, and I knowed thar wasn't no still up that
crick. I know--I knowed whar it was." Hale noticed the quick
change of tense.

"Won't you take me to see it some time?"

"No!" she said shortly, and Hale knew he had made a mistake. It
was too steep for both to ride now, so he tied the bundle to the
cantle with leathern strings and started leading the horse. June
pointed to the edge of the cliff.

"I was a-layin' flat right thar and I seed you comin' down thar.
My, but you looked funny to me! You don't now," she added hastily.
"You look mighty nice to me now--!"

"You're a little rascal," said Hale, "that's what you are." The
little girl bubbled with laughter and then she grew mock-serious.

"No, I ain't."

"Yes, you are," he repeated, shaking his head, and both were
silent for a while. June was going to begin her education now and
it was just as well for him to begin with it now. So he started
vaguely when he was mounted again: