sober, scientific earnest.

"It's an awfully nice thing if you dig a plant or soil your hands
in hunting, or anything like that, to know that there are four or
five different kinds of vegetable soap where you can easily reach
them, if you know them. If you lose your way or have a long
tramp, it's good to know which plants will give you drink and
where they are. And if you're short of implements, you might at
any time need a mescal stick, or an arrow shaft or an arrow,
even. If Donald were lost now, he could keep alive for days,
because he would know what wood would make him a bow and how he
could take amole fiber and braid a bow string and where he could
make arrows and arrow points so that he could shoot game for
food. I've taught him to make a number of snares, and he knows
where to find and how to cook his greens and potatoes and onions
and where to find his pickles and how to make lemonade and tea,
and what to use for snake bite. It's been such fun, Judge
Whiting, and he has been so interested."

"Yes, I should think he would be," said the Judge. "I am
interested myself. If you would take an old boy like me on a few
of those trips, I would be immensely pleased."

"You'd like brigand beefsteak," suggested Linda, "and you'd like
cress salad, and I am sure you'd like creamed yucca."

"Hm," said the Judge. "Sounds to me like Jane Meredith."

Linda suddenly sat straight. A dazed expression crossed her
face. Presently she recovered.