“Hey?  What’s that?” asked the ragged man, seeming to wake up from a sleep.  “Did you ask me not to go so fast?”

“No, I asked you——­”

Once more Bunny pinched his sister’s leg.

“Don’t tell him what you asked him and he won’t know, and then it will be all right,” said Bunny.

“All right,” whispered Sue.  Then aloud she said:  “Is it much farther to your house, Mr. Bixby?”

“Why, no,” answered the ragged man.  “So that’s what you asked me, was it?  I wasn’t listening, I’m afraid.  My cabin is only a little farther on, and then after you rest a bit I’ll put you on the road to your camp.”

“And maybe he’ll give us something to eat without our asking,” muttered Sue to her brother, who was behind.

“Hush!” he whispered.  “Don’t let him hear you.”

They were soon at Mr. Bixby’s cabin.

“Now, if you’ll sit down a minute,” said the ragged man, “I’ll get you a few cookies.  I baked them myself.  Maybe they are not as nice as those your mother makes, but Tramp, my dog, likes them.”

“I’m sure we will, too,” said Sue.  “There! what’d I tell you, Bunny Brown?” she asked in a whisper.  “I knew he’d give us something to eat!  And it isn’t impolite to take it when he offers it to you!”

“No, I guess it’s not,” said Bunny.  “Anyhow, we’ll take ’em.”

The ragged man appeared with a plate of cookies.  The children said they were very good indeed, fully as good as Mother Brown baked, and Tramp, the dog, ate his share, too, sitting up on his hind legs and begging for one when the ragged man told him to.  Then the dog would sit up with a cookie balanced on his nose, and he would not snap it off to eat until the man told him to.

“Well, I like to have you stay,” said the hermit, “but it is getting late, and perhaps I had better take you to the road that leads straight to your camp.”

“Yes, we had better go,” replied Bunny.  “We’ll know our way home now.  Thank you for taking care of us and for the cookies.”

“Which we didn’t ask for,” said Sue quickly.  “Did we, Mr. Bixby?”

“No, you didn’t,” he answered with a laugh, and he seemed to understand what Sue meant without asking any questions.

As Mr. Bixby started away from his cabin, to lead the children down to the road, they met an Indian coming up the path.  He was not Eagle Feather, but one of the tribe.

“How!” and the Indian nodded to the ragged man.

“How!” answered Mr. Bixby.

“You got heap big medicine ready for make Indian’s pain better?” asked the red man.

“Yes, but not now—­pretty soon,” answered Mr. Bixby.

“All right—­me wait.  You come back soon byemby?” asked the Onondaga.

“Yes, in a minute.”

“You don’t need to go any farther with us,” said Bunny presently.  “We can see the road from here and we know our way all right.”

“Are you sure?” asked Mr. Bixby, who seemed anxious to get back to the Indian, who appeared to be ill.