ow that fastened her belt, and waited with an expectant smile to
hear what Limerick or nonsense jingle he had found that made him think
of her. It was neither. With eyes fixed on the little symbol he was
outlining on the bark of the tree, he recited as if he were reading the
words from it:

"Love, be true to her;
Life, be dear to her;
Health, stay close to her;
Joy, draw near to her;
Fortune, find what your gifts
Can do for her.
Search your treasure-house
Through and through for her.
Follow her steps
The wide world over;
You must! for here is
The four-leaved clover."

"Why, Rob, that is _lovely_!" she exclaimed, looking up at him,
surprised and pleased. "I'm glad you put that clovah on the tree, for
every time I look at it, it will remind me of yoah wish, and--"

The letter she had been carrying fluttered to the ground. He stooped to
pick it up and return it to her.

"That's the lettah you are to mail for me," she said, giving it back to
him. "Don't forget it, for it's impawtant."

The address was uppermost, in her clear, plain hand, and she held it
toward him, so that he saw she intended him to read it.

"Hm! Writing to Alex Shelby, are you?" he said, with his usual brotherly
frankness, and a sniff that plainly showed his disapproval.

"It's just a note to tell him that I can't ride with him Thursday," she
answered, turning away.

"Did you tell him the reason?" he demanded, continuing to dig into the
tree.

"Of co'se not! How could I without making Bernice appeah ridiculous?"

"But what will he think of you, if you don't?"

"Oh, I don't know! I've worried ovah it until I'm neahly gray."

Then she looked up, wondering at his silence and the grave intentness
with which he was regarding her.

"Oh, Rob, don't tell me, aftah all, that you think it was silly of me! I
thought you'd like it! It was only the friendly thing to do, wasn't it?"

He gave a final dig with his knife, then turned to look down into her
wistful eyes. "Lloyd Sherman," he said, slowly, "you're one girl whose
friendship means something. You don't measure up very high on this old
locust, but when it comes to doing the square thing--when it's a
question of _honor_, you measure up like a man!"

Somehow the unwonted tenderness of his tone, the grave approval of his
smile, touched her in a way she had not beli