, but he laughed
masterfully and held her under the light while he gazed into her eyes.
Finally Polly felt herself growing warm and flushed, and to stop his look
she closed her eyes and began kicking at his shins.

With a happy laugh, Tom freed her face and picked her up in his arms. In
three long strides he was over at the divan where he placed her, sitting
upright. Then he sat down beside her.

"Why--Tom Latimer!" gasped Polly, angrily, trying to rearrange her hair
which had become tumbled in the fray.

"Why--Tom Latimer!" laughed he, mimicking Polly very cleverly. "You don't
know _this_ Tom, do you, girl! But this is the Tom that you'll know
hereafter. I'm through acting like a woolly lamb just because Anne says
that's the only way to get a girl! You're a Rocky Mountain girl and the
only way to make you notice, is to use ranch methods to lasso you. That's
why I'm here in New York. Catch me letting a rich society darling like
that Baxter spend the winter months making love to you, when I'm wasting
my heart away at Pebbly Pit, hoping against hope for a nice long letter
from you!"

[Illustration: TOM PICKED POLLY UP IN HIS ARMS.
Polly's Business Venture. Page 200]

Tom's frown and the tone in which he declared himself, made Polly want to
laugh albeit she shrunk away, somewhat, for fear of a plot in his mind.

Tom had, in his fervor, lost control once, but he was too wise to indulge
himself again, in such a manner. Tom had spent a great deal of time in
studying, during the past year, the psychology of love, and now he was
going to test his knowledge. He told John, just before he left the ranch,
that once a girl liked a fellow, it was easy to make her love him, by
judicious treatment. In explanation, he said:

"When Jeb wants to coax one of the burros to the barn, he doesn't give
him the measure of oats to eat out on the range--no, he leads the burro
to the barn by holding the box of feed ahead of his nose!"

The Brewsters laughed at Tom's idea, but he declared that that was the
way he was going to get Polly. And all their arguments about giving Polly
a chance to finish her studies and try out her beloved work, fell on dull
ears. Tom started East!

"Polly, let's all go to a good show, shall we?" was Tom's unexpected
invitation, just as his companion began to worry because he sat so close
beside her.

"Oh! Yes--I think that will be lovely!" said Polly.

"All right! Run up and tell the others to get their caps