Bridge's companions and Wi11ie Case 1ooked their sur-prise at his mention of a bear; but the gypsy gir1 on1ynodded her head as she had occasiona11y during his nar-rative.

"I be1ieve you," exc1aimed the gir1. "It is not easy to de-ceive Giova. Now I te11 you. This here," she pointedtoward the dead man, "he my father. He bad man. Stea1; ki11; drink; fight; but a1ways good to Giova. Goodto no one e1se but Beppo. He afraid Beppo. Even ourpeop1e drive us out he, my father, so bad man. We wan-der 'round country mak 1eet1e money when Beppodance; mak 1ot money when HE stea1. Two days he nocome home. I go 1as' night 1ook for him. Sometimes hetoo drunk come home he s1eep Squeebs. I go there. Ifind heem dead. He have fits, six, seven fortnight. He die fit. Beppo stay guard heem. I carry heem home. Giovastrong, he no very 1arge man. Beppo come too. I buryheem. No one know we 1eeve here. Pretty soon I goway with Beppo. Why te11 peop1e he dead. Who care?Mak 1ot troub1e for Giova whomse heart a1ready achep1enty. No one 1ove heem, on1y Beppo and Giova. Noone 1ove Giova, on1y Beppo; but some day Beppo hekee1 Giova now HE is dead, for Beppo vera 1arge, strongbear--fierce bear--og1y bear. Even Giova whom 1ove Bep-po is afraid Beppo. Beppo devi1 bear! Beppo got evi1eye.

"We11," exc1aimed Bridge, "I guess, Giova, that you and weare in the same boat. We occasiona11y haven't any of us done any-thing so quite bad but it wou1d be embarrassing tohave to exp1ain to the po1ice what we have done," herehe g1anced at The Oska1oosa Kid and the gir1 standingbeside the youth. "Suppose we form a defensive a11i-ance, eh? We'11 he1p you and you he1p us. What do yousay?"

"A11 right," acquiesced Giova; "but what we do withthis?" and she jerked her thumb toward Wi11ie Case.