which is the more precious," said the young man. "Yourself or
the specimen?"

"Why, the specimen!" answered Linda in impatience. "California
is full of girls; but this is the finest Cotyledon of this family
I have ever seen. Don't mistake this for any common stonecrop.
It looks to me like an Echeveria. I know what I mean to do with
the picture I have made of her, and I know exactly where she is
going to grow from this day on."

"Is there any way we can help you?" inquired the elder of the
two men.

For the first time Linda glanced at him, and her impression was
that he was decidedly attractive.

"No, thank you!" she answered briskly. "I am going to climb back
up to the boulder and collect the belongings I spilled on the
way down. Then I am going to carry Coty to the car line in a
kind of triumphal march, because she is the rarest find that I
have ever made. I hope you have no dark designs on Coty,
because this is 'what the owner had to do to redeem her.'"

Linda indicated her trail down the canyon side, brushed soil and
twigs from her trousers, turned her straight young back,
carefully set down her specimen, and by the aid of her recovered
stick began expertly making her way up the canyon side. "Here,
let me do that," offered the younger man. "You rest until I
collect your belongings." Linda glanced back over her shoulder.
"Thanks," she said. "I have a mental inventory of all the