“Say,” he added, “do you know that Ethel is crazy about this part of the country and doesn’t want to go back home with Dad?”
“Don’t you know the reason?”
“Reason,” he echoed.
“It’s Bud,” she said simply.
“Bud,” he cried in bewilderment. “Do you mean to tell me that Ethel is in love with Bud Anderson?”
“Yes, but I don’t see any harm in that, Bud is a fine fellow.”
“I know,” he said thoughtfully. “Lord, but it will be a shock to Dad. Josephine, I just happened to think of something. Why did you draw the picture of that butterfly on the envelope Rick sent through to me?”
“I wrote that letter right after Roy’s airplane appeared to us, and I was going to draw a picture of the airplane, but Ricker stood over me and I didn’t dare to. He even wanted to know what the butterfly meant, and I told him that it was a sign between us so you would know the letter was written by me. You see I was trying to let you know that we had seen Roy’s airplane, and I knew you were expecting him out here. We gave up hope of Roy finding you as we thought he was lost in the mountains.”
“He was lost in the mountains, but he found us all right, and later I will tell you all about it,” he said, looking fondly at her. “I was sure that butterfly meant something, but couldn’t figure it out. You little beauty, when Dad comes I am going to take you to New York and we will get married there. Would you be willing to leave your home here, and live with me in New York?”
Roy was returning in his airplane, and right over them he began making loops and hair raising nose dives, finally going into a tail spin.