"No, I think she rather favored you!" I replied gravely.

"No chance! And I say, isn't Sally a humdinger? Just the sort for

me--something doing every minute. And a fellow can always tell just

what she's thinkin'----"

"I'm not right sure, Cal, whether that's safe to say of any woman,"

said I. "A ship on the sea, or a serpent on a rock has--to use your

own quaint manner of speech, my friend--so to speak, nothing on the

way of a maid with a man. But go on. I do congratulate you. Do you

know, old man, I almost thought, once--a good while ago--that you were

just a little--that is--épris of Helena your own self?"

"Come again? 'Apree'--what's that?"

"--Gone on her."

"Oh, not at all, not at all--not in the least! Why, I can't see what

in the world--oh, well of course, you know, she's fine; but what I

mean is, why--there was Sally, you know. Say, do you know why I wanted

to get Sally away on that boat?--I was afraid you'd cut in somewhere,

run across her down at Mardi Gras, or something. And I just figured,

once you got a girl on a boat that way, away from all the other

fellows, you know, why even a plain chap like me would have a chance,

do you see? And I say now, I'll own it up--I was right down jealous

of you, too! Wasn't it silly? And I ask your pardon. You're an

awfully good sort, Harry, though you're so d----d serious--you get too

much in earnest, take things too hard, you know. Will you shake hands

with me, knowing what a fool I've been? I say, you're the best chap in

the world, old man--if only you were a little more human once in a

while."

He put out his hand and I met it. "Will you shake hands with me, Cal?"

said I, "on precisely those same terms about having been an awful

fool? It's you who are the best chap in the world. And I'll admit

it--I was jealous of you!"

He roared at this. "Well," said he, "as George Cohan says, 'All's well

that ends well', and I guess we couldn't beat this for a championship

year, now could we? Now say, about Dingleheimer----"

"Oh, hang Dingleheimer, Cal!" I exclaimed. "What I want to know is,

did you ever talk any to Miss Emory about--well, about me, you

know?--say anything about my affairs, or anything, you know? I mean

while you were there on the boat together."

"No. She wouldn't let me. Besides, the truth is, I was so full of

Sally all the time, I mostly talked about her. By Jove! that was a

measly trick you played us, running off with the boat from under my

nose! But I proposed to Sally in Natchez that night, and she came on

down to the city the next day by rail--while I ran down in that

dirty little scow you left behind. And I never tumbled for days that

it was you had run off with the boat--though I found a photo of

Helena and your cigarette case in the boat you left. Never tumbled

till that story of the taxi driver came out. Then I said, 'Well, of

all things! Wonder if that old stick has really come to life after

all!' And you sure had! What's in your letter? Say, ain't a boat the

place----"




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