or even
uncommon, but they generally occurred after pre-arrangement, which
gave her the opportunity of "fixing herself right."

With a wild grab she scrambled her material, and the pattern, so that
its identification would be quite impossible to male eyes, and hugged
it in her arms. Turning swiftly she thrust it into the cupboard, and
slammed the door. But she had no resentment at the interruption. Toby
was quite a new visitor, and, well--the more the merrier.

She turned to him all smiles, and Toby returned her welcome something
sheepishly. He cut a quaint figure with his broad, ungainly shoulders
supporting his rather pumpkin face. Then his arms were a little too
long and terminated in two "leg-of-mutton" hands.

"Evenin', Birdie," he said bashfully. "Guess you were sewin'?"

"Guess again," cried the girl readily, her eyes dancing at the
contemplation of a few moments' badinage with a new candidate for her
favors.

"Well, you wa'an't playin' the pianner."

But Birdie was quite equal to the best efforts of her candidates.

"My, but ain't you slick?" she cried, allowing her smiling gaze to
remain looking straight into his face in a way she knew never failed
to confuse her admirers on Suffering Creek. She watched till the
sturdy man's eyes turned away, and knew that he was groping for an
adequate retort. This effect was the result of practice with her, a
practice she thoroughly enjoyed.

The "leg-of-mutton" hands fumbled their way into the tops of Toby's
trousers, and, with a sudden self-assertion, which fitted him badly,
he lurched over to the table, beyond which Birdie was standing. It was
his intention to seat himself thereon, but his tormentor had not yet
reached the point where she could allow such intimacy.

"Say, I ain't ast you to sit around," she said, with an alluring pout.
"Men-folk don't sit around in a lady's' parlor till they're ast.
'Sides, the table's fixed fer breakfast. And anyway it ain't for
settin' on."

Toby moved away quickly, his attempt at ease deserting him with
ludicrous suddenness. At sight of his blushing face Birdie relaxed her
austerity.

"Say, ain't you soft?" she declared, with a demure lowering of her
lids. "I've allus heerd say, you only got to tell a feller don't, an'
he sure does it quick. Men-folk is that contrary. Now--"

The encouragement brought its reward. Toby promptly sat himself on the
table and set it creaking.

"Well, I do declare!" cried Birdie, in pretende