The slant rays of the late afternoon sun and the low fire in the fireplace were not able to give The Chief any clue as to the speakers. "Who are 'we'?" he demanded.
"I am Dee," was the reply, "and 'we' are all the girls."
"Dear me" said the man, "I thought I had settled your case by recommending bulb culture to you."
"Not much!" shouted the girls all together. "We have finished our bulb work," Katharine went on to say, "and now we are very anxious to do something with house plants. We have a good six weeks or more to wait for our bulbs, and so we thought possibly you would be willing to help us."
"I did think," grumbled the man, "that after I had invited you to a series of talks this winter you would leave me in peace."
And then they all laughed gaily together.
"Well, what is your stock you have to work with, girls? I shall have to know that before I can help you."
"We have—that is, most of us have—a lot of old straggly geraniums in our gardens. Then Katharine's mother has some fuchsias and begonias which she has promised us," replied Miriam.
"Up at the hotel where Jack sold his lettuce there are a few things I have been promised," added Elizabeth.
"Do you know what these are?" asked Ethel.