hat
will bring, considering the investment. Fred's worked so hard lately
that he's all run down and looks miserable. The doctor told him the
mountains would do him a world of good. And the professor wants to do
something definite and practical--they are filling up the college with
student-teachers, willing to teach some certain subject for the
instruction they'll get in some other--and they're talking about
cutting the professor's salary. He says he will not endure another
cut--he simply cannot, and--"

"And support an elocutionist?"

"Now, hush! It isn't--"

"Do I draw any salary as chaperone, Kate?"

"Now, if you don't stop, I'll not tell you another thing!" Kate took a
sip of water to help hide a little confusion, clutching mentally at
the practical details of the scheme. "Where was I?"

"Cutting Doug's salary. Is it up on a mountain, or up in the State,
that you said the place was? I'd like being on a mountain, I
believe--did you ever see such hot nights as we're having?"

"It's up both," Kate stated briefly. "You'd love it, Marion. There's a
log house, and right beside it is a trout stream. And it's only six
miles from the railroad, and _good_ road up past the place. A man who
has been up there told Doug--the professor. Tourists just _flock_ in
there. And right up on top of the mountain, within walking distance of
our claims, is a lake, Marion! And great trout in it, that long!--you
can see them swimming all around in schools, the water is so clear.
And there is no inlet or outlet, and no bottom. The water is just as
clear and as blue as the sky, the man told the professor. It's so
clear that they actually call it Crystal Lake!"

"Well, _what_ do you know about that!" breathlessly murmured Marion in
her crooning voice. "A lake like that on top of a mountain--in
weather like this, doesn't it sound like heaven?" She began to pick
the pineapple out of her fruit salad, dabbing each morsel in the tiny
mound of whipped cream.

"We'd need some outing clothes, of course. I've been thinking that a
couple of plain khaki suits--you know--and these leggings that lace
down the side, would be all we'd really need. I wish you'd go out home
with me instead of going to a show. Fred will be home, and he can
explain the details of this thing better than I can. If it were a
difficult stanza of Browning, now--but I haven't much talent for
business. And seriously, Marion, you must know all about this before
you really say yes