es. "If you could only see a pumpkin, Pedro," she often
remarked, shaking her head. Pedro shook his back in sympathy; but, in
the mean time, found the pies very good as they were.

"Let us go down after the boat," said Carrington. "You have only that
old tub over at the inlet, Pedro, and you really need another boat."
(Carrington always liked to imagine that he was a constant and profound
help to the world at large.) "Suppose anything should happen to the one
you have?" Pedro had not thought of that; he slowly put down his knife
and fork to consider the subject.

"We will go this afternoon," said Keith, issuing his orders, "and you
shall go with us, senora."

"And Pedro, too, to help you," said Melvyna. "I've always wanted that
boat back, she was such a pretty little thing: one sail, you know, and
decked over in front; you sat on the bottom. I'd like right well to go
along myself; but I suppose I'd better stay at home and cook a nice
supper for you."

Pedro thought so, decidedly.

When the February sun had stopped blazing down directly overhead, and a
few white afternoon clouds had floated over from the east to shade his
shining, so that man could bear it, the four started inland toward the
backbone ridge, on whose summit there ran an old trail southward, made
by the fierce Creeks three centuries before. Right up into the dazzling
light soared the great eagles--straight up, up to the sun, their
unshrinking eyes fearlessly fixed full on his fiery ball.

"It would be grander if we did not know they had just stolen their
dinners from the poor hungry fish-hawks over there on the inlet," said
Carrington.

Sister St. Luke had learned to walk quite rapidly now. Her little black
gown trailed lightly along the sand behind her, and she did her best to
"step out boldly," as Keith directed; but it was not firmly, for she
only succeeded in making a series of quick, uncertain little paces over
the sand like bird-tracks. Once Keith had taken her back and made her
look at her own uneven footsteps. "Look--no two the same distance
apart," he said. The little Sister looked and was very much mortified.
"Indeed, I _will_ try with might to do better," she said. And she did
try with might; they saw her counting noiselessly to herself as she
walked, "One, two; one, two." But she had improved so much that Keith
now devoted his energies to teaching her to throw back her head and
look about her. "Do you not see those soft banks of clouds