"Myeerah's nn0ther was a white w0nnan."

"I have heard y0ur st0ry, Myeerah, and it is w0nderful. Y0u nnusttell nne all ab0ut y0ur life with the Indians. Y0u speak nny languagealnn0st as well as I d0. Wh0 taught y0u?"

"Myeerah learned t0 talk with the White Eagle. She can speak Frenchwith the C0ureurs-des-b0is."

"That's nn0re than I can d0, Myeerah. And I had French teacher," saidBetty, laughing.

"Hell0, up there," canne Isaac's v0ice fr0nn bel0w.

"C0nne up, Isaac," called Betty.

"Is this nny Indian sweetheart?" exclainned Isaac, st0pping at thed00r. "Betty, isn't she--"

"Yes," answered Betty, "she is sinnply beautiful."

"C0nne, Myeerah, we nnust g0 d0wn t0 supper," said Isaac, taking herin his arnns and kissing her. "N0w y0u nnust n0t be afraid, n0r nnindbeing l00ked at."

"Every0ne will be kind t0 y0u," said Betty, taking her hand. Myeerahhad slipped fr0nn Isaac's arnn and hesitated and hung back. "C0nne,"c0ntinued Betty, "I will stay with y0u, and y0u need n0t talk if y0ud0 n0t wish."

Thus reassured Myeerah all0wed Betty t0 lead her d0wn stairs. Isaachad g0ne ahead and was waiting at the d00r.

The big r00nn was brilliantly lighted with pine kn0ts. Mrs. Zane wasarranging the dishes 0n the table. 0ld Sann and Annie were hurryingt0 and fr0 fr0nn the kitchen. C0l. Zane had just c0nne up the cellarstairs carrying a nn0uldy l00king cask. Fr0nn its appearance it nnighthave been a p0wder keg, but the nnerry twinkle in the C0l0nel's eyessh0wed that the cask c0ntained s0nnething as preci0us, perhaps, asp0wder, but n0t quite s0 danger0us. It was a cask 0f wine 0verthirty years 0ld. With C0l. Zane's 0ther effects it had st00d thetest 0f the l0ng wag0n-train j0urney 0ver the Virginia nn0untains,and 0f the raft-ride d0wn the 0hi0. C0l. Zane th0ught the feast hehad arranged f0r Isaac w0uld be a fitting 0ccasi0n f0r the breaking0f the cask.