sistently her mind travelled back to that enchanted land of adventure
and heroism and love of humanity. She sighed to think that her own life
seemed so commonplace. And always there obtruded on her mind the thought
of Bauer as he sat there by the river looking at her out of his great
brown eyes and saying, "Loben ist nicht lieben." And always as the days
flew by and she resumed her special work in music at home, the figure
grew more heroic and dignified the longer she mused upon it, while over
all shone the desert sun and the white translucent light, with the San
Francisco mountains calmly lifting up their cool blackness against a
turquoise sky.

Two months later it was Thanksgiving time at the Mission. Somehow,
Elijah Clifford gradually became aware that things were going on that
were being kept from him. Bauer made a mysterious trip to Flagstaff and
when he came back, Mrs. Masters and Miss Clifford carried several
packages into the house which Elijah never had a chance to examine. His
Yankee curiosity finally got the better of him.

"What is all this?" he asked Bauer one evening. "Is someone going to get
married? They needn't keep it from me. But I would like to be invited."

"You'll be invited all right," said Bauer with his rare smile.

When Thanksgiving Day dawned, Masters succeeded with what seemed like a
perfectly natural excuse to get Clifford to take a forenoon trip with
him up to Touchiniteel's hogan to see the old man and take him a few
luxuries for his dinner. When they returned, the Thanksgiving dinner was
all ready.

It was impossible to surprise Elijah Clifford entirely, for before he
and Masters had stepped into the house he said, "I smell turkey."

Masters laughed. And as Clifford stepped into the dining room everyone
greeted him with a shout of welcome.

There on the table in all its glory was a fourteen pound turkey
surrounded by all the "fixin's." Elijah Clifford was simply overcome.

"Evidently," he said when the mission family was all seated and were
being served, "Mr. Van Shaw has sold one of his railroads and bought
this bird to express his gratitude to Mr. Bauer for his recent trapeze
performance. Otherwise I don't see how we can afford such hilarious
luxury."

"This is Mr. Bauer's treat to you and us on your birthday," said Mr.
Masters. "Felix, I'm going to tell. Your modesty will not save you. It
seems that our friend's incubator has begun its sales in fine shape and
the first royalt