He
put his arm about her while she drank; kept his arm about her, kneeling
at her side, while he gave her a little, crisp slice of bacon, held his
arm there when she had finished, watching her solicitously.

"The two nicest things in the world, Mr. Man," she said, with a second
attempt at the old Judith brightness, "are half-burnt bacon and Bud
Lee!"

Then, because, though he had been slow to believe, he was not a fool,
and now did believe, he kissed her. And Judith's lips met his
lingeringly. Judith's two arms rose, slipped about his neck, holding
him tight to her.

The faintest of flushes had come at last into a her cheeks. He saw it
and grew glad as he held her so that he could look into her face. But
now she laid a hand against his breast, holding him back from her.

"That's all now," she told him, her eyes soft upon him. "Just one kiss
for each slice of bacon, Mr. Lee. But--I'm so hungry!"

For a little there was nothing to do but for Judith to rest and get
some of her strength back. Lee made of his coat and vest a seat for
her against a rock, sat at her side, his arm about her, made her lean
against him and just be happy. Not yet would he let her tell him of
the horrors through which she had gone. And he saw no need of telling
her anything immediately of conditions as he had left them at the
ranch. Time enough for that when she was stronger, when they were near
Blue Lake.

Greene, the forester, came at last up the mountain. He noted the
isolated tree, nodded at it approvingly, made a brief tour around the
charred circle, extinguishing a burning brand here and there.

"What sort of a fool would want to climb way up here to start a fire,
anyway?" he grumbled.

Then, unexpectedly, he came upon the happiest-looking man he had ever
seen, with his arms about an amazingly pretty girl. Not just the sort
of thing a lone forest ranger counts upon stumbling upon on the top of
a mountain. Greene stared in bewilderment. Bud Lee turning a flaming
red. Judith smiled.

"Good morning, stranger," said Lee. "Fine day, isn't it?"

Judith laughed. Greene continued to stare. Lee went a trifle redder.

"If you two folks just started that fire for fun," grunted Greene
finally, "why, then, all I've got to say is you've got a blamed queer
idea of fun. Here I've been busting myself wide open to get to it."

"Haven't got a flask of brandy on you, have you?" asked Lee.

"Yes, I have. And what's more I'm go