. Then he spoke.

"It's the Angel, sir," he said.

Instinctively McLean's grip on him tightened, and Freckles looked into
the Boss's face in wonder.

"I tried, the other day," said Freckles, "and I couldn't seem to make
you see. It's only that there hasn't been an hour, waking or sleeping,
since the day she parted the bushes and looked into me room, that the
face of her hasn't been before me in all the tinderness, beauty, and
mischief of it. She talked to me friendly like. She trusted me entirely
to take right care of her. She helped me with things about me books. She
traited me like I was born a gintleman, and shared with me as if I were
of her own blood. She walked the streets of the town with me before her
friends with all the pride of a queen. She forgot herself and didn't
mind the Bird Woman, and run big risks to help me out that first day,
sir. This last time she walked into that gang of murderers, took their
leader, and twisted him to the will of her. She outdone him and raced
the life almost out of her trying to save me.

"Since I can remimber, whatever the thing was that happened to me in the
beginning has been me curse. I've been bitter, hard, and smarting under
it hopelessly. She came by, and found me voice, and put hope of life and
success like other men into me in spite of it."

Freckles held up his maimed arm.

"Look at it, sir!" he said. "A thousand times I've cursed it, hanging
there helpless. She took it on the street, before all the people, just
as if she didn't see that it was a thing to hide and shrink from. Again
and again I've had the feeling with her, if I didn't entirely forget it,
that she didn't see it was gone and I must he pointing it out to her.
Her touch on it was so sacred-like, at times since I've caught meself
looking at the awful thing near like I was proud of it, sir. If I had
been born your son she couldn't be traiting me more as her equal, and
she can't help knowing you ain't truly me father. Nobody can know the
homeliness or the ignorance of me better than I do, and all me lack of
birth, relatives, and money, and what's it all to her?"

Freckles stepped back, squared his shoulders, and with a royal lift of
his head looked straight into the Boss's eyes.

"You saw her in the beautiful little room of her, and you can't be
forgetting how she begged and plead with you for me. She touched me
body, and 'twas sanctified. She laid her lips on my brow, and 'twas
sacrament. Nobody kno