' to be!"

Nearly a week went by before Rosy-Lilly saw another chance to assail
McWha's forbidding defences. This time she made what her innocent
heart conceived to be a tremendous bid for the bad-tempered woodsman's
favour. Incidentally, too, she revealed a secret which the Boss and
Walley Johnson had been guarding with guilty solicitude ever since her
coming to the camp.

It chanced that the Boss and Johnson together were kept away from camp
one night till next morning, laying out a new "landing" over on Fork's
Brook. When it came time for Rosy-Lilly to be put to bed, the honour
fell, as a matter of course, to Jimmy Brackett. Rosy-Lilly went with
him willingly enough, but not till after a moment of hesitation, in
which her eyes wandered involuntarily to the broad, red face of McWha
behind its cloud of smoke.

As a nursemaid, Jimmy Brackett flattered himself that he was a
success--till the moment came when Rosy-Lilly was to be tucked into
her bunk. Then she stood and eyed him with solemn question.

"What's wrong, me honey-bug?" asked Brackett, anxiously.

"You hain't heard me my prayers!" replied Rosy-Lilly, with a touch of
severity in her voice.

"Eh? What's that?" stammered Brackett, startled quite out of his
wonted composure.

"Don't you know little girls has to say their prayers afore they goes
to bed?" she demanded.

"No!" admitted Brackett, truthfully, wondering how he was going to get
out of the unexpected situation.

"Walley Johnson hears me mine!" continued the child, her eyes very
wide open as she weighed Brackett's qualifications in her merciless
little balance.

Here, Brackett was misguided enough to grin, bethinking him that now
he "had the laugh" on the Boss and Walley. That grin settled it.

"I dess you don't know how to hear me say 'em, Jimmy!" she announced
inexorably. And picking up the skirt of her blue homespun "nightie,"
so that she showed her little red woollen socks and white deer-hide
moccasins, she tripped forth into the big, noisy room.

At the bright picture she made, her flax-gold hair tied in a knob on
top of her head that it might not get tangled, the room fell silent
instantly, and every eye was turned upon her. Nothing abashed by the
scrutiny, she made her way sedately down the room and across to
McWha's bench. Unable to ignore her, and angry at the consciousness
that he was embarrassed, McWha eyed her with a grim stare. But
Rosy-Lilly put out her hands to him confidingly