im. "You may
have them," she offered.

"I?" He received them awkwardly. "That's awfully sweet of you. Say, you
are sweet, aren't you?"

"You may have them if you want them," she repeated.

Jim, still holding the bunch awkwardly, had an inspiration.

"I do want them. And now, if they're really mine, I want to do with them
what I'd like most to do with them. May I?"

"Why, of course."

"I'd like to give them to the girl who ought to have flowers more than
any girl I know. I'd like to give them to you!"

He smiled at her daringly.

"Oh!" breathed Missy. How poetical he was!

"But," he stipulated, "on one condition. I demand one rose for myself.
And you must put it in my buttonhole for me."

With trembling fingers Missy fixed the rose in place.

They walked on up to the gate. Jim said: "In our school town the girls
are all crazy for brass buttons. They make hatpins and things. If you'd
like a button, I'd like to give you one--off my sleeve."

"Wouldn't it spoil your sleeve?" she asked tremulously.

"Oh, I can get more"--somewhat airily. "Of course we have to do extra
guard mount and things for punishment. But that's part of the game, and
no fellow minds if he's giving buttons to somebody he likes."

Missy wasn't exactly sure she knew what "subtle" meant, but she felt
that Jim was being subtle. Oh, the romance of it! To give her a brass
button he was willing to suffer punishment. He was like a knight of old!

As Jim was severing the button with his penknife, Missy, chancing to
glance upward, noted that the curtain of an upstairs window was being
held back by an invisible hand. That was her mother's window.

"I must go in now," she said hurriedly. "Mother's waiting up for me."

"Well I guess I'll see you soon. You're up at Kitty's a lot, aren't
you?"

"Yes," she murmured, one eye on the upstairs window. So many things she
had to say now. A little while ago she hadn't been able to talk. Now,
for no apparent reason, there was much to say, yet no time to say it.
How queer Life was!

"To-morrow, I expect," she hurried on. "Good night, Mr. Henley." "Good
night--Missy." With his daring, gleaming smile.

Inside the hall door, mother, wrapper-clad, met her disapprovingly.
"Missy, where in the world did you get all those flowers?"

"Ji--Kitty's cousin gave them to me."

"For the land's sake!" It required a moment for mother to find further
words. Then she continued accusingly: "I thought you were to come hom