r. The girl interrupted him.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "Do you come from the mill?"

"I come from no mill," retorted Grogan, piqued by the girl's tone, "and
if you'll excuse me I don't want to."

"This is Mr. Michael Grogan of Chicago," put in Harvey placatingly. "I've
been showing him the town."

"And," added Grogan quickly, "I haven't seen much."

"That's not at all strange," said Elsie, "because there's nothing to
see."

"And in Chicago, where I come from," said Grogan sagely, "there's
altogether too much."

Grogan saw by his two companions' faces that he was an intruder.

"Young man," he said, "I don't think I'll wait for you. I've some letters
to write at the hotel. I think I'll be strolling along."

"Why," said Harvey, hospitable in the face of intrusion, "you're welcome
to ride. Won't you wait?"

"No, thanks," said Grogan, "that grocery wagon of yours wasn't built to
accommodate a man of my size."

Harvey and the girl watched Grogan disappear in the dusk. Then the young
man turned to the girl.

"Elsie--" he began tenderly.

But the girl stopped him. "Now don't begin to question me," she ordered.
"I won't answer."

"You are trying to hide something from me," said Harvey, grasping the
girl's unwilling hand. The girl drew away from him.

"That's not true," she said. "I don't want you to bother me."

"I never used to bother you," said Harvey, his face flushing.

"That was before--" began Elsie impulsively. "I mean now," she went on,
catching herself. "I mean that you do now because you have changed."

"No," contradicted Harvey, "but you have."

"What do you mean by that?" challenged the girl.

Harvey stood silent for a moment and jerked out a laugh of embarrassment.
"I don't know exactly what I mean," he said, "but you know we were
engaged."

Elsie flushed. "We were not," she said.

"I mean," said Harvey miserably stumbling on, "we sort of were. We
understood." He brought one hand from his pocket. It held the box
containing the ring. "Why, Elsie," he said pleadingly, "I even bought the
ring. Just a plain band of gold. I did so hope that some day, soon
perhaps, you'd let me put it on your finger and take you to our home. It
wouldn't be much, but I'd love you and care for you. Why I'd work night
and day just to make things easy for you. I love you. It all begins and
ends with that."

Elsie stood for a moment as though this honest appeal had touched her.
Then she turned sharply.

"O,