“I thought so,” and Tavia was more interested than ever. “Where does he go? He is studying some profession, of course.”
“Hum,” grunted Nat, with a sly wink at Dorothy.
“But just what a hero might be studying, would, of course, not influence the opinion of such a broad-minded young woman as Tavia Travers,” challenged Ned.
“I should say—no!” declared Tavia, with mock dramatic effect.
“Well, then, that boy is studying a most remunerative and heroic profession,” went on Ned.
“I knew it,” cried Tavia, bounding over in front of Ned to get the important information.
“Yes, he is studying—the plumbing business,” said Ned, and the way he looked at Tavia—well, she just dropped in a lump at his feet, and when Nat fetched the wheelbarrow, she still played limp, so they put her in the barrow, wheeled her up the path, and she “stayed put,” until they actually carried her indoors.
When she “recovered,” she declared she would waylay the plumber the very next morning, and have him look over some little jobs that might be found in need of looking over, by just such an intelligent youth. The boys seconded this motion, and agreed that a good plumber was a much more desirable acquaintance than might be a fellow who studied so many other languages that he necessarily forgot entirely his interest in English.
“Besides,” said Nat, “A nice little plumber like that, with deep blue hair and red eyes—”
“And a lunch box that looks like a doctor’s kit,” interrupted Ned.