"Thanks," said Linda in a dry drawl. "And you will add to my obligation
if in the future you will remember not to deal in assumptions. I am not
your 'beauty,' and I'm not anyone's beauty; while the only thing in this
world that I am interested in at present is to get the best education I
can and at the same time carry on work that I love to do. I have a year
to finish my course in the high school and when I finish I will only
have a good beginning for whatever I decide to study next."

"That's nothing," said the irrepressible Henry. "It will take me two
years to catch a sufficient number of gold bugs to be really serious,
but there wouldn't be any harm in having a mutual understanding and
something definite to work for, and then we might be able, you know, to
cut out some of that year of high-school grinding. If the plans I have
submitted in the Nicholson and Snow contest should just happen to be the
prize winners, that would put matters in such a shape for young Henry
that he could devote himself to crickets and tumble-bugs at once."

"Don't you think," said Linda quietly, "that you would better forget
that silly jesting and concentrate the best of your brains on improving
your plans for Peter Morrison's house?"

"Why, surely I will if that's what you command me to do," said Henry,
purposely misunderstanding her.

"You haven't mentioned before," said Linda, "that you had submitted
plans in that San Francisco contest."

"All done and gone," said Henry Anderson lightly. "I had an inspiration
one day and I saw a way to improve a house with comforts and
conveniences I never had thought of before. I was enthusiastic over the
production when I got it on paper and figured it. It's exactly the house
that I am going to build for Peter, and when I've cut my eye teeth on it
I am going to correct everything possible and build it in perfection for
you."

"Look here," said Linda soberly, "I'm not accustomed to this sort of
talk. I don't care for it. If you want to preserve even the semblance of
friendship with me you must stop it, and get to impersonal matters and
stay there."

"All right," he agreed instantly, "but if you don't like my line of
talk, you're the first girl I ever met that didn't."

"You have my sympathy," said Linda gravely. "You have been extremely
unfortunate."

Then she started the Bear Cat, and again running at undue speed she
reached her wild-flower garden. Henry Anderson placed the stones as she
dir