? Down in the Atlantic
Ocean they have sharks that bite and bark. They come up out of the water
at night and bark like a dog."

"O-o-oh, dear! how funny!" giggled Frieda, and Eugene began slowly
rowing his boat lakeward.

"Be sure you bring me a nice fish," she called.

"Be sure you're here to get it when I come back," he answered.

He saw her with the lattice of spring leaves behind her, the old house
showing pleasantly on its rise of ground, some house-martens turning in
the morning sky.

"What a lovely girl," he thought. "She's beautiful--as fresh as a
flower. That is the one great thing in the world--the beauty of
girlhood."

He came back after a time expecting to find her, but her foster-mother
had sent her on an errand. He felt a keen sense of disappointment.

There were other meetings after this, once on a day when he came back
practically fishless and she laughed at him; once when he saw her
sunning her hair on the back porch after she had washed it and she came
down to stand under the trees near the water, looking like a naiad. He
wished then he could take her in his arms, but he was a little uncertain
of her and of himself. Once she came to his studio in the barn to bring
him a piece of left-over dough which his mother had "turned" on the top
of the stove.

"Eugene used to be crazy about that when he was a boy," his mother had
remarked.

"Oh, let me take it to him," said Frieda gaily, gleeful over the idea of
the adventure.

"That's a good idea," said Angela innocently. "Wait, I'll put it on this
saucer."

Frieda took it and ran. She found Eugene staring oddly at his canvas,
his face curiously dark. When her head came above the loft floor his
expression changed immediately. His guileless, kindly smile returned.

"Guess what," she said, pulling a little white apron she had on over the
dish.

"Strawberries." They were in season.

"Oh, no."

"Peaches and cream."

"Where would we get peaches now?"

"At the grocery store."

"I'll give you one more guess."

"Angel cake!" He was fond of that, and Angela occasionally made it.

"Your guesses are all gone. You can't have any."

He reached out his hand, but she drew back. He followed and she laughed.
"No, no, you can't have any now."

He caught her soft arm and drew her close to him. "Sure I can't?"

Their faces were close together.

She looked into his eyes for a moment, then dropped her lashes. Eugene's
brain swirled with the sense of