, invading the
garage. "The girls insist that you come. Where are your eyes, man? If
Pauline bores you--I admit that she's a trifle persistent, but she's
jolly good company, I think--try Mrs. Lessing. She's delightful, and not
the pursuing style at all--she's learned better. She hasn't shown the
slightest interest in you all morning. That ought to attract you."

"I'm going to try a bit of adjustment on this timer now that Mac's
out of the way. Go along, and don't bother me." Burns was in his
shirt-sleeves again and spoke gruffly. His cap was off, and thick locks
lay damply against his moist brow; in his eyes sparkled enthusiasm but
not for women.

"You certainly are a hopeless case," and Chester went back to his party.

"We might as well not have a bachelor along," mourned Pauline. "Four
women--with only two old married men to look after them--it's a shame."

"But we're both of us much handsomer than Red Pepper Burns," asserted
James Macauley, Junior. "And I've hardly spoken a word to my wife since
I started--that sort of thing ought to content you."

"It doesn't. And neither of you is half as good-looking as Doctor Burns.
He has the most interesting profile I ever saw--and I ought to know--I
seldom catch sight of his full face."

"I shouldn't suppose an interesting profile, whatever that is, would
offset a shock of fire-red hair. Now, both Chester's hair and mine--"

"His hair isn't fire-red. It's a--rather strong--auburn."

Macauley shouted and the rest laughed with him.

"Rather strong! I should say it was. I've been worried about having
him sit near the gasoline tank, it brings his hair so close to a high
combustible. But it has one advantage: if we don't get home before dark
we shan't need to light up. Red's torch of a head will do the trick; we
can come in by the refulgence from that."

"I shall be sitting in its light going back, anyhow," Miss Hempstead
exulted.

"Much good it will do you," prophesied Chester.

It did Pauline so much good as that she was able to obtain many looks
at the profile she admired, for she saw it clean-cut against the passing
landscape for the sixty miles of daylight out of the seventy-five miles
home, while she sat beside its owner and tried many times to draw him
into talk. His taciturnity on this particular day was a thing beyond any
experience with it she had yet had. She had heard Burns talk, and talk
well, on many different subjects, the while he sat upon the Chesters'