He was watching the girl through the gloomy haze of the bacon smoke, but spoke no more until Tessibel ordered him to draw up to the table and eat.
"Have a piece of bacon," said she.
Frederick held up his plate, and Tess shoved a generous portion into it. She gave him a tempting brown fish, cut a slice of bread, placing it upon the side of his tin plate, and commenced to eat rapidly from her own.
Neither boy nor girl mentioned sleeping until the hands of the small nickel clock on the shelf in the corner pointed out the hour of eleven. Then Tessibel opened the subject without hesitation or embarrassment.
"It air time fer ye to turn in," said she, banking the embers in the stove for the night.
"I shall sit up," replied Frederick stiffly.
"There air two beds," commented Tess in simple ignorance of all law save necessity. "Mine air under Daddy's--see?"
She dragged the rope cot from under the larger bed--a cloud of dust rising white to the shanty's rafters and settling like a soft mist upon the student.
"I air goin' to sleep here," explained Tess with no mention of the lately exposed dirt. "I only slep' in Daddy's bed cause he wasn't here.... Ye go to bed while I gets the sticks fer the mornin'."
Frederick placed his hand on her arm almost timidly. She was so different from any girl he had ever known!
"Please allow me to get the wood for you."
Two rows of white teeth bared themselves in a frank smile.
"I's a squatter," she said, "and squatter women allers gets the wood. Scoot to bed."
When Tessibel came in from the mud cellar, Frederick lay with his face toward the wall, Orn Skinner's soiled blankets wrapped closely about his shoulders. Tessibel placed the leather strap over the staple in the door, and barred up for the night.