e of the plaster of Paris.

"I s'pose the story'll go all over the country and make me ridic'lous,"
he said, gloomily. Feeling the corners of his mouth tenderly: "I thought
at first I'd choke to death before I'd let anybody see me. What I'll do
to that cook," his eyes gleaming, "won't stand repeatin'. And if anybody
dast say 'teeth' to me----"

"Whatever made you do it?"

Too angry for finesse, Pinkey replied bluntly:

"I done it fer you. I thought you'd like me better if I had teeth, and
now I s'pose you can't ever look at me without laughin'."

Miss Eyester flipped a bit of plaster from his shirtsleeve with her
thumb and finger.

"I wouldn't do anything to hurt your feelings, ever."

"Never?"

"Never."

"Then don't you go ridin' again with that old gummer."

"Do you care, really?" shyly.

"I'll tell the world I do!"

Miss Eyester fibbed without a pang of conscience:

"I never dreamed it."

"I thought you wouldn't look at anybody unless they had money--you bein'
rich 'n' ever'thing."

"In the winter I earn my living cataloguing books in a public library. I
hate it."

Pinkey laid an arm about her thin shoulders.

"Say, what's the chanct of gittin' along with you f'rever an' ever?"

"Pretty good," replied Miss Eyester, candidly.

CHAPTER XXII

"KNOCKING 'EM FOR A CURVE"

It had been put to a vote as to whether the party should make the trip
through the Yellowstone Park by motor, stopping at the hotels, or on
horseback with a camping outfit.

Mr. Stott, after the persuasive manner in which he addressed a jury,
argued:

"We can ride in automobiles at home. That is no novelty. Than horseback
riding, there is no more healthful exercise. We are all agreed that we
have had enough of hotels, while camping will be a new and delightful
experience. In the brief period that we shall lie next to nature's heart
we will draw strength from her bosom. By camping, we can loaf along in
leisurely fashion, taking our own time for seeing the wonders of the
Yellowstone, and fishing."

The programme he outlined was so sensible and attractive that everybody
was in favour of it strongly except old Mr. Penrose, who declared that
sleeping on the ground would give him rheumatism, and the fear that bugs
would crawl in his ears made him restless. Mr. Stott, however, overcame
his objection by assuring him that the ground was too dry to give any
one rheumatism and he could provide himself with cotton against the