“It was foolish and wrong,” she acknowledged. Then catching sight of her brother, “Oh, Maxie, I’m glad to see you safe, too!”
“Are you?” he returned, in a sportive tone. “I was beginning to wonder if it made any particular difference to you.”
“Oh, did you see any bears?” she asked, as they moved on into their own rooms.
“Yes,” answered her father, and Max added, “Papa shot him; right through the heart, so that he fell dead instantly.”
“I was almost sure papa would be the one to shoot him,” Lulu exclaimed with a look of triumph. Then with a sudden change of tone, “Papa, you’re very tired, aren’t you?”
“Rather tired, daughter, and have a slight headache,” he answered. “Were there any letters for me?”
He was taking off his coat, preparatory to ridding himself of the dust gathered during his ride.
“Yes, sir; one of them from Mamma Vi,” replied Lulu. “Papa, won’t you sit down in this easy-chair while you read it, and let me stand beside you and brush your hair gently to see if that won’t help your head?”
“Yes, dear child; I shall enjoy having you do so, if you do not find it too wearisome.”
“It won’t tire me at all, papa,” she asserted with warmth, “and there’s nothing else I enjoy so much as doing something to make you comfortable.”