steaming odors of greasy, lukewarm water. The one blot
upon her existence is perhaps the Chinese cook, with whom she has
perforce to associate. She dislikes him for no other reason than that
he is a "yaller-faced doper that ought to been set to herd with a
menagerie of measly skunks." But even this annoyance cannot seriously
damp her buoyancy, and, with wonderful feminine philosophy, she puts
him out of her mind as a "no account feller, anyway."

She was putting the finishing touches to the long dining-table, making
it ready for the next day's breakfast. It was not an elaborate
preparation. She "dumped" a box of knives and forks at each end of it,
and then proceeded to chase any odd bits of debris from the last meal
on to the floor with a duster. Then, with a hand-broom and pan, she
took these up and with them any other rubbish that might be lying
about. Finally, she set jugs of drinking water at intervals down the
center of the table, and her work was done.

She looked about her, patting her fair hair with that eminently
feminine touch which is to be seen in every woman from the millionaire's
wife down to the poorest emigrant. Then, with less delicacy, she
lifted her apron and wiped the moisture from her round young face.

"Guess that's 'most everything," she murmured, her eyes brightening at
the contemplation of her completed task. "I'll just cut out them--"

She went to a cupboard and drew out a parcel of white lawn and paper
patterns, which she carefully spread out on the table. And, in a few
moments, she was bending absorbedly over the stuff, lost in the
intricacies of hewing out an embryonic garment for her personal
adornment.

It was at this task that Toby Jenks found her. He was worried to death
at the thought that, as a member of the newly formed Zip Trust, it was
his duty to gather information concerning the management of children.
However, in the midst of his trouble he hit on the brilliant idea of
consulting the only woman of his acquaintance.

Toby wanted to do something startling in the interests of the Trust.
He felt that his membership had been conferred in a rather grudging
spirit. And, to his mildly resentful way of thinking, it seemed it
would be a good thing if he could surprise his friends with the
excellence of his services in the general interests of the concern.

Birdie heard the door open, and raised a pair of startled eyes at the
intruder. It was not that such visits were out of order,