ower, meek as a lamb. A number echoed "Me, too."
One added: "We was just having a little bit of fun."

"Well," said Van judicially, "Algy's entitled to his share." He raised
his voice: "Hey there, Algy--come out here and play with the boys."

Mrs. Dick had caught sufficient breath to explode.

"Fun!" she said. "My windows broken! My house all upset. Snakes
alive, if ever I heard----"

Algy appeared and interrupted.

"What's mallah you, Van?" he said. "I got no time fool lound now.
Been play too much. All time play, that velly superstich! Nobody got
time to work."

"That's all right," Van assured him. "The boys here wish to apologize
for wasting your valuable time. In fact, they insist. Now then, boys,
down on your knees, every Jack in the crowd."

That gun of his had a horribly loose way of waving about to cover all
the men. They slumped to, rather than knelt on, their knees.

"Suminagot!" said Algy. "All time too muchee monkey fooling! My
dinner not git leady, Van, you savvy that? What's mallah you?"

Van ignored the cook, in addressing the men.

"It's your earnest desire to apologize, boys, I believe," he said.
"All in favor will please say Aye."

The men said Aye in growlings, rumblings, and pipings.

Van addressed his cook. "Do you want them to kiss your hand?"

"_Ah_! Unema! hong oy!" said Algy blasphemously. "You makee me velly
sick! Just wash my hands for finish my dinner. Too much
monkey-doodle!" and off he went to his work, followed at once by Mrs.
Dick.

"Algy's too modest," Van assured the crowd. "And none of you chaps are
fit to apologize to Mrs. Dick, so you'd better go wash up for dinner.
But don't let me hear so much as a peep about Algy from one of this
bunch, or Eden will turn into Hades." As the men arose to their feet
sheepishly, and began to slink away he added to the spokesman, "You
there with the face for pie, go up to my camp and call the boys to
feed."

The men disappeared. Van, left alone, was turning away when his glance
was attracted to the window, up above, where Beth was looking down.
His face turned red to the topmost rim of his ears.

The girl was pale, but resolute.

"May I see you a moment, please?" she said, "before the men come in?"

"Certainly." Van went to the front and waited at the foot of the
stairs.

When Beth came down he was standing in the doorway, looking off at the
shadowy hills. He heard her steps upon the stairs and turned,