Adam was seeing Genie in a new light. It amused him greatly, yet he could not help but look ruefully after her, somewhat uncertain. Feminine reactions were unknown quantities. Genie reminded him wonderfully of girls he had known when he was seventeen. Presently young Blair returned with more milk, and also considerably more self-possession. Not seeing Genie, he evidently took the hint and quickly left. “Come over after supper,” called Adam, after him. “All right,” he replied, and then was gone. Very shortly then Adam had supper prepared, to which he cheerfully invited Genie. She came reluctantly, with furtive eyes on the green beyond camp, and sat down to fold her feet under her, after the manner of an Indian. Adam, without any comment, served her supper, not omitting a generous quantity of fragrant fried eggs and a brimming cupful of creamy milk. Wherewith Genie utterly forgot, or magnificently disdained, any recollection of what she had said. She even asked for more. But she was vastly removed from the gay and lightsome Genie. “What’d you ask him back here for?” she demanded. “I want to talk to him. Don’t you?” replied Adam, innocently. “Me!... When he called me bub?” “Genie, be sensible. They’re nice people. I think I’ll camp here a day or so. We’ll rest up, and that’ll give me time to look around.” “Look around!... What’ll become of _me_?” wailed Genie, miserably. “You can watch camp. I dare say young Blair will forget your rudeness and be nice to you.” Then Genie glared with terrible eyes upon Adam, and she seemed between tears and rage. “I--I never--never knew--you could be like this.” “Like what? Genie, I declare, I’m half ashamed of you! Nothing has happened. Only this lad mistook you for a boy. Anyone would think the world had come to an end. All because you woke up and found out you had on boy’s clothes. Well, you’ve got to take your medicine now. You _would_ wear them. You never minded _me_. You didn’t care _how_ I saw you!” “I don’t care how _he_ saw me or sees me, either, so there,” declared Genie, enigmatically. “Oh! Well, what’s wrong, then?” queried Adam, more curious than ever. “I--he--it--it was what he called me,” replied Genie, confusedly. Adam gazed at her downcast face with speculative eyes, intuitively feeling that she had not told the whole truth. He had anticipated trouble with this spirited young wild creature from the desert, once they got into civilization. “Genie, I’ve been mostly in fun. Now I’m serious.... I want you to be perfectly natural and nice with these Blairs, or anyone else we meet.” Manifestly she took that seriously enough. Without another word she dragged her blankets and canvas away from the firelight, and at the edge of the gathering gloom under the oaks she made her bed and crawled into it. A little while after dark, young Blair presented himself at Adam’s fire, and took a seat to which he was invited.