“You’re fond of boys? That’s queer. I didn’t know any one liked boys except their mothers and now and then a girl or two.”
Roy laughed a little as he added this last, and the stranger joined in heartily.
“You’re very frank,” he remarked; “but that’s what boys usually are, and it’s one of the reasons I like them. They generally say right out just what they think.”
“What’s another reason?”
The man with the camera hesitated an instant before replying. Then he said:
“Well, I’m going to be frank, too. Another reason I like boys is because I find them useful to me.”
“Useful to you?” repeated Roy, perplexed.
“Yes, as a matter of study. You see, I write about them sometimes.”
“Why, are you an author?”
Roy turned full around on the log as he put the question, his face all aglow with animation.