outs," declared Richard frankly. "Each one
thinks he is a Roman candle."

"How perfectly horrid of Warren!" said Rosemary hotly.

"Warren?" echoed the bewildered Richard. "What has Warren done to you?"

"He hasn't done anything to me--" Rosemary's color began to rise.
"But I don't think he is one bit fair to Jack."

Before Richard could argue this, the door opened and Jack came out. He
had heard voices and perhaps wished to discourage the intention of the
doctor to come up and see him. He sat down on the opposite side of the
step from Rosemary and her brother and put one hand carelessly behind
him.

"Hello!" he said grumpily.

"Say, those fish were fine," declared Richard, feeling his
responsibility as host, since Jack did not seem moved to speech. "They
were so fresh, I could almost see 'em leaping out of the brook. You
must have had good luck."

"First-rate," said the doctor. "Sorry you couldn't come up to the
house for dinner, Rich."

"Well, I could have come," admitted Richard cautiously, "but I'm no
good presenting regrets for others. Warren and Jack were peeved--"

"You needn't make any excuses for me," interrupted Jack coldly, holding
up a throbbing hand behind his back.

"See?" said Richard with a gesture of despair. "What could a fellow
do? And I'll bet Winnie cooks fish so you never forget it."

"She's a good cook," Doctor Hugh conceded.

Richard sighed. He wished Rosemary felt more talkative. In his
anxiety to entertain his guests, he stumbled on a sore subject.

"I used to go fishing pretty often myself," he said pleasantly. "The
first year we were in college, Warren and I went off by ourselves
nearly every Saturday afternoon. We made friends with the State
wardens and they told us a lot of useful things. Once we saw them
stock a stream--that was great. Ever see that, Jack?"

"No," snapped Jack, "and I'm not likely to; the only thing I'll know by
the end of this summer will be how many cans of tomatoes the Goldenrod
Canning Company has packed this year."

"How do they stock a stream?" asked Rosemary, her curiosity unloosening
her tongue.

"Oh, they have thousands of baby fish and they ladle 'em out like so
much fine gold," said Richard. "And we saw them net a pond once for
carp--I wish I had more time to play around. Perhaps when Warren and I
get our own farm we can carry out a few ideas of ours."

"What's that you're going to do when you get your own farm, Richard?"