at all but her own thick thatch of
riotous brown hair.

Ruth's brother taught Nan to swim, and she entered into it with so much
zest that to his surprise he found his only difficulty lay in trying to
restrain her. Nothing seemed to daunt her, and whatever any one else
did she immediately wanted to try.

"The fact of the matter is," young Mr. Andrews declared one day, "you
ought to have been a boy. You'd make a capital fellow."

"I know it," admitted Nan, frankly. "I love boys' sports and pranks,
and to think that all my life I've just got to 'sit on a cushion and
sew up a seam.' It's perfectly awful."

"Fancy!" exclaimed Miss Webster, a fellow-guest, and a young lady whom,
by the way, Nan regarded with a good deal of disdain, because she
seemed what John Gardiner called "girly-girly," and was flirtatious.
"Fancy! Why, I wouldn't be a man for anything in the world! Just
think what hideous clothes they wear."

"Thank you, Miss Webster," retorted Mr. Andrews with mock solemnity.

"Oh, I didn't mean you," she returned with an emphasis and a soft
glance of the eyes. "You really dress extremely well. I adore your
neck-ties and your boots are dreams."

Helen Andrews tried to hide a scowl of irritation. Alice Webster was
her friend, and she disliked having her display herself in her worst
light. She knew her to be a warm-hearted, honorable girl whose gravest
fault, which, after all, might be only a foible, was her tendency to
turn coquettish when she was in the society of gentlemen.

Ruth rose and beckoned Nan to follow her.

"Isn't she a lunatic?" she demanded, as soon as they were out of
ear-shot.

"Perfect idiot!" responded Nan. "I should think your brother would
just duck her in the water some fine day when she's making those
sheep's eyes at him. I would if I were in his place."

"Oh, he doesn't care. He thinks she's lots of fun. Besides, he's
going away to-morrow, and won't see her again unless Helen makes her
stay longer."

"What'll she do for some one to make eyes at?"

"Don't know. Helen generally has a lot of company, but just now there
seems to be a famine in the land!"

Suddenly Nan stood stock still.

"What's the matter?" demanded Ruth.

Nan waited a moment, and then bent over and whispered something in her
ear.

"Magnificent! We'll do it!" cried Ruth, clapping her hands, and
breaking into a peal of laughter.

"Not to-night--while your brother is here!" protested Nan.

"Of