"
"Girls shouldn't climb trees," he said, severely. "It tears their
dresses."
"Oh, one cannot tear a dress like this." She glanced down at her
skirt. Allowing his eyes to leave her face for a moment, Kirk saw
that she was clad, oddly enough, in a suit of denim, which was
buttoned snugly clear to her neck. It struck him as most
inappropriate, yet it was extremely well made, and he could not
complain of the effect.
He broke his gun and removed the shells; then, leaving it beside
the bath-house, went to the tree where he had first seen her. With
one hand resting upon the trunk, he turned to say:
"Promise you won't disappear while I'm up there, or change into a
squirrel, or a bird, or anything like that."
"What a funny man you are!"
"Do you promise?"
"Yes, yes."
"Do you live around here?"
"Of course."
"Why do you want this orchid?"
"To put it in the house."
Instead of beginning his climb, the young man lounged idly against
the tree.
"Funny how I found you, wasn't it?" he remarked. "I mean it's
funny I should have stumbled right on you this way--there's only
one of you and one of me, and--er--this country is so big! I might
have gone some other way and then perhaps we'd never have met." He
contemplated this contingency for an instant.
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