h his brain. It permeated his whole
being with a sense of delight. He only wondered he had not thought of
it before. It was the very thing. How the devil had he managed to miss
it? Helen was as full of plain wisdom and sense, as her pretty gray
eyes were full of laughter. She was tremendously clever. She was
always reading books. Hadn't he picked them up? Why, of course. He
would go and catch her up, and--do a big powwow and "think" with her.

His enthusiasm once more at high pressure, Big Brother Bill set off
hot foot to intercept the girl he had seen just leaving her home. She
would have to cross the bridge, that was certain--then----Ah, yes,
the church. The new church. She generally took that in on her way to
the village. She had told him that. Well, that was quite easy. He
would cut across to the old pine, he couldn't lose himself doing that,
then the trail would run right on down by the church.

For once he made no mistake in taking a short cut. He reached the
old pine safely, and felt like congratulating himself. Then a
disconcerting thought occurred to him as he contemplated the trail
down which he must proceed. The girl had a long way to go, and he had
hurried desperately. She wouldn't be up at the church for some time
yet. He felt annoyed with himself for always doing things in such a
hurry. It was quite absurd. Now he would have either to remain where
he was, kicking his heels about, or go on down to the church, and make
it look as though he were purposely lying in wait for her.

He felt that would be a mistake. She might resent it. She might regard
it as an impertinence. He couldn't afford to offend her, he was much
too anxious for her approval. He remembered her resentment at their
first meeting, and--laughed. But he told himself she was quite right.
She thought he had been spying on her. If he had been it would have
been a low-down trick. Anyway he would take no chance now. He would
wait right there, and----

A sudden commotion in the scrub beside him abruptly changed the trend
of his thought. He was startled. The commotion went on. Then with a
rush and whirr of wings, and a hoarse-throated squawk, a large bird
flew up, clutching the ruffled body of a lesser one in its fierce
claws, its great flapping wings brushing his sleeve as it swept on
past him.

His wondering blue eyes followed the bird's flight until it passed
beyond the tree tops, and became hidden by the trunk of the old pine.
Then he looked