separate, a difficulty arose. Shirley Sumner refused point blank to
leave the premises. She liked Bryce for his hair and because he had
been so kind to her; she was a stranger in Sequoia, and now that she
had found an agreeable companion, it was far from her intention to
desert him.

So Miss Sumner stayed and helped Bryce weed his carrots, and since as
a voluntary labourer she was at least worth her board, at noon Bryce
brought her in to Mrs. Tully with a request for luncheon. When he
went to the mill to carry in the kindling for the cook, the young
lady returned rather sorrowfully to the Hotel Sequoia, with a fervent
promise to see him the next day. She did, and Bryce took her for a
long ride up into the Valley of the Giants and showed her his
mother's grave. The gray squirrels were there, and Bryce gave Shirley
a bag of pine-nuts to feed them. Then they put some flowers on the
grave, and when they returned to town and Bryce was unsaddling the
ponies, Shirley drew Midget's nose down to her and kissed it. Then
she commenced to weep rather violently.

"What are you crying about?" Bryce demanded. Girls were so hard to
understand.

"I'm go-going h-h-h-home to-morrow," she howled.

He was stricken with dismay and bade her desist from her vain
repinings. But her heart was broken, and somehow--Bryce appeared to
act automatically--he had his arm around her. "Don't cry, Shirley,"
he pleaded. "It breaks my heart to see you cry. Do you want Midget?
I'll give her to you."