“That isn’t necessary,” retorted Elnora.  “They know this, and they love it; but you and I are acquainted with something different.  The Limberlost is life.  Here it is a carefully kept park.  You motor, sail, and golf, all so secure and fine.  But what I like is the excitement of choosing a path carefully, in the fear that the quagmire may reach out and suck me down; to go into the swamp naked-handed and wrest from it treasures that bring me books and clothing, and I like enough of a fight for things that I always remember how I got them.  I even enjoy seeing a canny old vulture eyeing me as if it were saying:  ’Ware the sting of the rattler, lest I pick your bones as I did old Limber’s.’  I like sufficient danger to put an edge on life.  This is so tame.  I should have loved it when all the homes were cabins, and watchers for the stealthy Indian canoes patrolled the shores.  You wait until mother comes, and if my violin isn’t angry with me for leaving it, to-night we shall sing you the Song of the Limberlost.  You shall hear the big gold bees over the red, yellow, and purple flowers, bird song, wind talk, and the whispers of Sleepy Snake Creek, as it goes past you.  You will know!” Elnora turned to Freckles.

He nodded.  “Who better?” he asked.  “This is secure while the children are so small, but when they grow larger, we are going farther north, into real forest, where they can learn self-reliance and develop backbone.”

Elnora laid away the violin.  “Come along, children,” she said.  “We must get at that backbone business at once.  Let’s race to the playhouse.”

With the brood at her heels Elnora ran, and for an hour lively sounds stole from the remaining spot of forest on the Island, which lay beside the O’More cottage.  Then Terry went to the playroom to bring Alice her doll.  He came racing back, dragging it by one leg, and crying:  “There’s company!  Someone has come that mamma and papa are just tearing down the house over.  I saw through the window.”

“It could not be my mother, yet,” mused Elnora.  “Her boat is not due until twelve.  Terry, give Alice that doll——­”

“It’s a man-person, and I don’t know him, but my father is shaking his hand right straight along, and my mother is running for a hot drink and a cushion.  It’s a kind of a sick person, but they are going to make him well right away, any one can see that.  This is the best place.

“I’ll go tell him to come lie on the pine needles in the sun and watch the sails go by.  That will fix him!”

“Watch sails go by,” chanted Little Brother. “’A fix him!  Elnora fix him, won’t you?”

“I don’t know about that,” answered Elnora.  “What sort of person is he, Terry?”

“A beautiful white person; but my father is going to ‘colour him up,’ I heard him say so.  He’s just out of the hospital, and he is a bad person, ’cause he ran away from the doctors and made them awful angry.  But father and mother are going to doctor him better.  I didn’t know they could make sick people well.”