ike a king, Mac," he said. "I'll
find out what the trouble is with the jobbers and be back sometime
to-morrow."

Seeing that his advice was futile, McCoy left to put up a few samples
while his employer hurried into the office. Gregory turned at once to
his desk. As he prepared the quotations for submission to the jobbers, a
cheery voice interrupted him in his work.

"Welcome home."

In the doorway stood Dickie Lang.

He jumped hastily to his feet and put out his hands.

"Oh, if you only knew how good it was to be back," he began. Then, as he
noticed the girl's rapid change of expression at his words, he hastened
to amend: "I don't mean I was glad to leave your house. I wasn't. It's
the only home I've known for a long time. I was only trying to say how
glad I am to be able to get back to work."

Dickie smiled at his enthusiasm.

"I know," she said. "It's wonderful you were able to get back so soon."

Soon the talk turned to business and Gregory explained his plans for
visiting Port Angeles. Like McCoy, Dickie voiced her objections, but
with more vehemence. Seeing at last, however, that the young man could
not be talked out of it, she exclaimed:

"Never let on to Aunt Mary that I knew you were going or she never would
forgive me. She's kind of adopted you and she told me to look out for
you."

Soon they were discussing the new speed-boat and its practicability at
the present time should it be proved a success.

"Mascola ran across our trammels this morning with a dragnet," the girl
explained. "If you had had that boat, you might have stopped them. He's
getting pretty ugly lately and last night his men tried to crowd ours
off the beach with their seine. If they try it again, there'll be
trouble."

Remembering Gregory's object in going to the city, Dickie suggested:

"While you're in Port Angeles you might look in at the fresh fish
markets and find out what's the matter with them, too. They are bad
enough at best, but they've been getting worse for a long time. Now they
are hardly yielding us enough to pay to ship."

Gregory promised and looking at his watch, saw he would have to leave at
once.

"I wish you could go up there with me," he exclaimed. "Why couldn't you?
I'll wait."

A smile flashed to the girl's lips, then disappeared on the instant. "It
wouldn't be proper," she said gravely. "Port Angeles is a city and
people look at things differently in cities. Aunt Mary would have
nervous prostration