"Does it hurt very much, Susie?" asked Linda, offering her a drink of water.
"Not as much as my ankle. And my poor mouth! Without these teeth! My looks are ruined!"
"No, they're not," answered Linda, comfortingly. "Any good dentist can fix you up so nobody will ever know the difference."
Still no one said anything about the man who was lying so silently on the rock a dozen yards away. It was Hal Perry, returning from the canoe, who made the announcement which they had all been secretly expecting.
"The man with the gun is dead," he said, quietly, not knowing how Susie would take the news.
"So he got his at last," muttered the latter, with a certain grim satisfaction. "Nobody—not even his widow—is goin' to shed a single tear!"
[Chapter VIII]
The Chief of Police
Half an hour after the accident, Susie expressed a desire to eat, and Linda hastened to supply her with food. While the girl ate her lunch, the little group discussed their plans.