"Oh, Fred, how young you are!" he sighed; then pulled Zip's tail and was snapped at.
Suddenly he looked her straight in the face. "Are you engaged to him?" he demanded, harshly.
"Heavens, no!" she said, laughing.
His hands tightened around his knees; he opened his lips, then closed them hard. "I almost made a fool of myself," he told himself, afterward. However, his possibilities for folly were not visible to Frederica, who continued to lay down the law as to the work a man ought to do in the world. "When we get the vote," she said, "we'll show you what a citizen's responsibilities are."
"Thanks so much," he murmured. "You are going to do all the things we do, I suppose?"
"Of course," she said, joyfully; "everything—and a lot you don't do because you are too lazy!"
"I suppose you will leave us the right to propose?"
"I'll share it with you," she said, and they both laughed.
"Oh, my dear Fred," he said, "I must come back to the chestnut: you are our superiors, and we like you to be. I suppose that's because we are born hunters and are keen for the unattainable. We won't bag the game if it roosts on our fists."
"Well," s he reassured him, springing to her feet, "I'm not going to roost on your fist; don't be afraid!"