re was no trail leading to or from the cabin; it seemed
to have been lost in this opening of the encompassing woods and left
alone and solitary.

The barking of a couple of tethered hounds at last brought a figure to
the door of the nearest lean-to shed. It seemed to be that of a
young girl, but it was clad in garments so ridiculously large and
disproportionate that it was difficult to tell her precise age. A calico
dress was pinned up at the skirt, and tightly girt at the waist by an
apron--so long that one corner had to be tucked in at the apron
string diagonally, to keep the wearer from treading on it. An enormous
sunbonnet of yellow nankeen completely concealed her head and face, but
allowed two knotted and twisted brown tails of hair to escape under its
frilled cape behind. She was evidently engaged in some culinary work,
and still held a large tin basin or pan she had been cleaning clasped to
her breast.

Fleming's eye glanced at it covetously, ignoring the figure behind it.
But he was diplomatic.

"I have lost my way in the woods. Can you tell me in what direction the
main road lies?"

She pointed a small red hand apparently in the direction he had come.
"Straight over thar--across the hill."

Fleming sighed. He had been making a circuit of the forest instead of
going through it--and this open space containing the cabin was on a
remote outskirt!

"How far is it to the road?" he asked.

"Jest a spell arter ye rise the hill, ef ye keep 'longside the woods.
But it's a right smart chance beyond, ef ye go through it."

This was quite plain to him. In the local dialect a "spell" was under
a mile; "a right smart chance" might be three or four miles farther.
Luckily the spring and outcrop were near the outskirts; he would pass
near them again on his way. He looked longingly at the pan which she
still held in her hands. "Would you mind lending me that pan for a
little while?" he said half laughingly.

"Wot for?" demanded the girl quickly. Yet her tone was one of childish
curiosity rather than suspicion. Fleming would have liked to avoid the
question and the consequent exposure of his discovery which a direct
answer implied. But he saw it was too late now.

"I want to wash a little dirt," he said bluntly.

The girl turned her deep sunbonnet toward him. Somewhere in its depths
he saw the flash of white teeth. "Go along with ye--ye're funnin'!" she
said.

"I want to wash out some dirt in that pan--I'm prospec