ie, I guess maybe," she retorted
quellingly, and Billy asked no farther.

Later he caught sight of a blue flutter in the swing; investigated and
saw that it was Miss Bridger, and that the Pilgrim, smiling and with
his hat set jauntily back on his head, was pushing the swing. They did
not catch sight of Billy for he did not linger there. He turned short
around, walked purposefully out to the edge of the grove where his
horse was feeding at the end of his rope, picked up the rope and led
the horse over to where his saddle lay on its side, the neatly folded
saddle-blanket laid across it. "Darn it, stand still!" he growled
unjustly, when the horse merely took the liberty of switching a fly
off his rump. Billy picked up the blanket, shook the wrinkles out
mechanically, held it before him ready to lay across the waiting back
of Barney; shook it again, hesitated and threw it violently back upon
the saddle.

"Go on off--I don't want nothing of yuh," he admonished the horse,
which turned and looked at him inquiringly. "I ain't through yet--I
got another chip to put up." He made him a cigarette, lighted it and
strolled nonchalantly back to the grove.

CHAPTER XI.

_"When I Lift My Eyebrows This Way."_

"Oh, where have you been, Billy boy, Billy boy?
Oh, where have you been, charming Billy?"

Somewhere behind him a daring young voice was singing. Billy turned
with a real start, and when he saw her coming gayly down a little,
brush-hidden path and knew that she was alone, the heart of him turned
a complete somersault--from the feel of it.

"My long friend, Dilly, was busy, and so I--I went to look after my
horse," he explained, his mind somewhat in a jumble. How came she to
be there, and why did she sing those lines? How did she know that was
_his_ song, or--did she really care at all? And where was the Pilgrim?

"Mr. Walland and I tried the swing, but I don't like it; it made me
horribly dizzy," she said, coming up to him. "Then I went to find Mama
Joy--"

"Who?" Billy had by that time recovered his wits enough to know just
exactly what she said.

"Mama Joy--my stepmother. I call her that. You see, father wants me to
call her mama--he really wanted it mother, but I couldn't--and she's
so young to have me for a daughter, so she wants me to call her Joy;
that's her name. So I call her both and please them both, I hope. Did
you ever study diplomacy, Mr. Boyle?"

"I never did, but I'm going to start ri