e red. "No more for mine those sissy, girlie
ways--I've got well over all of that!"

She tossed one knee over the other and threw herself back in the chair.
She seemed a little piqued. She went on:

"I just tell you what--there's nothing like a couple of years off at
college for toughening you! Gets all those mamma's baby ways out of you,
you bet your life, and all the slushiness you get from trying to be like
your sisters. Shucks!"

I caught my breath. Of course, she had no idea how it sounded--this sort
of talk; it was just her innocent frankness, her--what d'ye call
it?--her _ingenuousness_--dash it!

She continued musingly: "Gee, but I was soft when I first went away--a
regular pie-faced angel-child!" Her voice had in it a sneer. Then she
straightened up, whirled her chair facing me, and gave me a sounding
slap on the knee. "Say, maybe the fellows I met didn't educate that out
of me mighty quick! Well, I reckon yes!" And she nodded, eying me
sidewise, her pretty chin in the air.

But, dash me, I was so aghast I couldn't get out a word. Just sat there
batting at her and turning hot and cold by turns. Came devilish near
losing consciousness, by Jove, that's what!

Of course, I knew she didn't know what she was talking about. Hadn't any
sisters myself, don't you know, and never had learned much about other
fellows' sisters; but, dash it, I knew something about _faces_, and I
would have staked my life on hers. You can nearly always tell, you know.
But, anyhow, I thought I had better go now.

I got up. "I say, you want to just make yourself at home," I said. "And
if you don't mind, I'll see you at the boat in the morning."

She stood up, too, looking rather surprised. "You're not going away?"

"Oh, no; not out of town." I thought that was what she meant. I added:
"And as I go out, I'll stop down-stairs and have some one come up and
stay with you."

She dropped to the arm of the chair, her pretty face showing dismay.

"Oh, but see here! I'm running you off--I know I am. Say, Mr. Lightnut,
I don't want to do that. I thought sure you were going to be here.
Brother insisted you would be."

Brother! Nice brother, indeed, for her--poor little thing!

"Oh, you'll be all right," I said reassuringly. "I'm just going over to
the club, don't you know--not far away."

She came right up to me and placed a hand on each shoulder.

"Honest Injun, now," she said--and her smile was ravishing. "Honest,
now, Mr. Lightnut,