"No; she is my wife, and we have been together night and day ever since our escape from captivity; and she has slept close at my side or in my arms. How could I have it otherwise, with the growl of the bear, the savage howl of the wolf, or the scream of the wildcat in our ears, to say nothing of constant danger from roving bands of Indians?"
"Sure enough, sir; and she is your wife! Well, it shall be just as you wish, though it does seem like treating you both very inhospitably."
"Not at all, my dear madam. In fact, neither of us would be willing to get into one of your nice clean beds without a bath and change of raiment, which we cannot have at present."
"Why, yes you can, of course," put in Joe; "we have a bath-room, and I'll supply you with a change of clothes, without waiting for the Rev. Mr. Clark's coming," he added, with a good-humored laugh.
"And I'll do the same by your wife to-morrow morning," said the mother, as she hurried away in search of the quilt.
She kept her word, and Juanita appeared at the breakfast-table very agreeably metamorphosed by civilized garments, though the calico dress was a little faded, and had to be belted in about the waist because it was several sizes too large.
But no attire, however uncouth, could hide the gracefulness of her form and movements, or mar the beauty of her face.
"They won't come anywhere near fitting, you are so much more slender than I am," Mrs. Baird had remarked when offering them, "but at least they are sweet and clean as soap and water can make them."
"The best possible recommendation, dear lady," Juanita answered, with a joyous smile. "Oh, you do not know how glad I shall be to be clean once more! You could only learn by living in a wigwam for three years and then travelling through the woods and over the mountains and prairies in the one suit, wearing it day and night."