Freckles shook his head.  He knew what he should do, but there was no use in taking time to try to explain it to Mrs. Duncan while he was so hurried.  He exchanged his wading-boots for shoes, gave her his club, and went spinning toward town.  He knew very well where the Angel lived.  He had seen her home many times, and he passed it again without even raising his eyes from the street, steering straight for her father’s place of business.

Carrying the hat, Freckles passed a long line of clerks, and at the door of the private office asked to see the proprietor.  When he had waited a moment, a tall, spare, keen-eyed man faced him, and in brisk, nervous tones asked:  “How can I serve you, sir?”

Freckles handed him the package and answered, “By delivering to your daughter this hat, which she was after leaving at me place the other day, when she went away in a hurry.  And by saying to her and the Bird Woman that I’m more thankful than I’ll be having words to express for the brave things they was doing for me.  I’m McLean’s Limberlost guard, sir.”

“Why don’t you take it yourself?” questioned the Man of Affairs.

Freckles’ clear gray eyes met those of the Angel’s father squarely, and he asked:  “If you were in my place, would you take it to her yourself?”

“No, I would not,” said that gentleman quickly.

“Then why ask why I did not?” came Freckles’ lamb-like query.

“Bless me!” said the Angel’s father.  He stared at the package, then at the lifted chin of the boy, and then at the package again, and muttered, “Excuse me!”

Freckles bowed.

“It would be favoring me greatly if you would deliver the hat and the message.  Good morning, sir,” and he turned away.

“One minute,” said the Angel’s father.  “Suppose I give you permission to return this hat in person and make your own acknowledgments.”

Freckles stood one moment thinking intently, and then he lifted those eyes of unswerving truth and asked:  “Why should you, sir?  You are kind, indade, to mention it, and it’s thanking you I am for your good intintions, but my wanting to go or your being willing to have me ain’t proving that your daughter would be wanting me or care to bother with me.”

The Angel’s father looked keenly into the face of this extraordinary young man, for he found it to his liking.

“There’s one other thing I meant to say,” said Freckles.  “Every day I see something, and at times a lot of things, that I think the Bird Woman would be wanting pictures of badly, if she knew.  You might be speaking of it to her, and if she’d want me to, I can send her word when I find things she wouldn’t likely get elsewhere.”

“If that’s the case,” said the Angel’s father, “and you feel under obligations for her assistance the other day, you can discharge them in that way.  She is spending all her time in the fields and woods searching for subjects.  If you run across things, perhaps rarer than she may find, about your work, it would save her the time she spends searching for subjects, and she could work in security under your protection.  By all means let her know if you find subjects you think she could use, and we will do anything we can for you, if you will give her what help you can and see that she is as safe as possible.”