It won't be so long for you
as for us; and by the time you have Oka Sayye beaten to ravelings
you will have such a 'perfect habit' that you will start right in
with the beating idea. That should keep you fairly busy, because
most of the men you come up against will be beaters themselves."
"Yes, I know," said Donald. "Are you going to start me to
college with the idea that I have to keep up this beating habit?
If I were to be one of fifty or a hundred, wouldn't that be good
enough?"
"Why, sure," said Linda, "if you will be satisfied with having me
like fifty or a hundred as well as I do you."
"Oh, damn!" said Donald angrily. "Do I have to keep up this
top-crust business all my days?"
Linda looked at him with a queer smile on her lips.
"Not unless you want to, Donald," she said quietly; "not unless
you think you would rather."
Donald scraped a fish vigorously. Linda sat watching him.
Presently the tense lines around his eyes vanished. A faint red
crept up his neck and settled on his left cheek bone. A confused
grin slowly widened his naturally wide mouth.
"Then it's me for the top crust," he said conclusively.
"Then it's me for you," answered Linda in equally as
matter-of-fact tones; and rising, she gathered up the fish and
carried them to Katy while Donald knelt beside the chilly stream
and scoured his face and hands, after which Linda whipped away
the scales with an improvised brush of willow twigs.
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