"Come here, please.
Margaret wants to kiss you for saving her life."
"Oh!" The word came out of Margaret's lips like an explosion.
Nan stared very sternly at her. "If you don't," she said in a
low tone, "I'll tell your father all about how you came to fall
into the river."
Under this threat Margaret became amenable. She puckered up her
lips and stretched her arms out toward Indian Pete. The man
stumbled back and fell on his knees beside the two girls. Nan
heard the hoarse sob in his throat as he took little Margaret in
his arms.
"Bless you! Bless you!" he murmured, receiving the kiss right
upon his scarred cheek. But Nan saw that Margaret's eyes were
tightly closed as she delivered the caress, per order!
The next moment the man with the scarred face had slipped away
and disappeared in the forest. They saw him no more.
However, just as soon as the catalog house could send it,
Margaret received a beautiful, pink-cheeked, and flaxen-haired
Doll, not as fine as Beulah, but beautiful enough to delight any
reasonable child.
Nan had won back Margaret's confidence and affection.
Meanwhile the hot summer was fast passing. Nan heard from her
chum, Bess Harley, with commendable regularity; and no time did
Bess write without many references to Lakeview Hall.
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