"Best have something to eat, lad, before you get too hungry," she said.

"Please hurry!" he begged laughingly as he held a plate toward her to be
filled. "I thought I had enough self-restraint to start out alone, but
I see I was mistaken. If you would allow me, just now, I am afraid I
should start a fever again. I never did smell food so good as this. It's
mighty kind of you to take me in. I hope I will be man enough in a few
days to do something worth while in return."

Spots of sunshine fell on the white cloth and blue china, the bees and
an occasional stray butterfly came searching for food. A rose-breasted
grosbeak, released from a three hours' siege of brooding, while his
independent mate took her bath and recreation, mounted the top branch of
a maple in the west woods from which he serenaded the dinner party with
a joyful chorus in celebration of his freedom. Philip's eyes strayed to
the beautiful cabin, to the mixture of flowers and vegetables stretching
down to the road, and to the singing bird with his red-splotched breast
of white and he said: "I can't realize now that I ever lay in ice packs
in a hospital. How I wish all the sick folks could come here to grow
strong!"

The grosbeak sang on, a big Turnus butterfly sailed through the arbour
and poised over the table. Elnora held up a lump of sugar and the
butterfly, clinging to her fingers, tasted daintily. With eager eyes and
parted lips, the girl held steadily. When at last it wavered away, "That
made a picture!" said Philip. "Ask me some other time how I lost my
illusions concerning butterflies. I always thought of them in connection
with sunshine, flower pollen, and fruit nectar, until one sad day."

"I know!" laughed Elnora. "I've seen that, too, but it didn't destroy