“Bless you, miss, bless you! Cris Carrol will allers be too glad to do a sarvice for one that’s real grit, as you air. That I’ll swar to. Bless you!”

As she turned to take her departure, a sudden idea struck the backwoodsman—

“Why, what a durn’d old fool I am; I never axed her for her name.”

“You’ll pardon me, miss,” said he, “I’m sure you will—but—”

“But, what?” she asked, smilingly.

“But, might I ask you—I’d like to know—” here he stammered and stuttered.

“You want to know my name; that’s it, isn’t it?”

“The very thing!”

“Alice Rody.”

The old backwoodsman started on hearing it.