reasonably certain that I never shall have a letter to
answer. In a few days probably I shall be able to turn back that packet
to Linda without having opened it."

To make up for the perturbation which had resulted in failure in
class and two weeks of work that represented her worst appearances in
high-school history, Linda, her mind freed from the worry over Marian's
plans, and her heart calmer over the fiasco in trying to comfort her,
devoted herself absorbingly to her lessons and to the next magazine
article that she must finish. She had decided that it was time to write
on the subject of Indian confections. Her first spare minute she and
Katy must busy themselves working out the most delicious cactus candy
possible. Then they could try the mesquite candy. No doubt she could
evolve a delicious gum from the mesquite and the incense plant. She knew
she could from the willow milkweed; and under the head of "sweets" an
appetizing jelly from manzanita. There were delightful drinks too, from
the manzanita and the chia. And better than either, the lemonade berry
would serve this purpose. She had not experimented to an authoritative
extent with the desert pickles. And among drinks she might use the
tea made from blue-eyed grass, brewed by the Indians for feverish
conditions; and there was a whole world of interest to open up in
differing seeds and berries, parched or boiled for food. And there were
the seeds that were ground for mush, like the thistle sage, and the mock
orange which was food and soap also, and the wild sunflowers that were
parched for meal, and above all, the acorns. She could see that her
problem was not going to be one of difficulty in securing sufficient
material for her book; it would be how to find time to gather all these
things, and put them through the various processes and combinations
necessary to make edible dishes from I them. It would mean a long summer
of interesting and absorbing I work for her and for Katy. Much of it
could not be done until the I summer was far advanced and the seeds and
the berries were I ripe. She could rely on Donald to help her search for
the material. With only herself and Katy in the family they could give
much of their time to the work.

"Where Katy will rebel," said Linda to herself, "is when it comes to
gathering sufficient seeds and parching them to make these meal and mush
dishes. She will call it 'fiddlin' business.' She shall be propitiated
with a new dress and