s a
womanish, sensitive creature under the surly mask, and he was cut to the
quick by his comrades' apathy. "There ain't no place for old men in this
world," he thought, "there's them boys I done my best to make do a good
job, and some of 'em I've worked overtime to help; and not one of 'em
has got as much as a good-by in him for me!"

But he did not think of going to poor Thekla for comfort, he went to
his grim dreams. "I git my property all straight for Thekla, and then
I quit," said he. Perhaps he gave himself a reprieve unconsciously,
thinking that something might happen to save him from himself. Nothing
happened. None of the "boys" came to see him, except Carl Olsen, the
very stupidest man in the shop, who put Lieders beside himself fifty
times a day. The other men were sorry that Lieders had gone, having a
genuine workman's admiration for his skill, and a sort of underground
liking for the unreasonable old man because he was so absolutely honest
and "a fellow could always tell where to find him." But they were shy,
they were afraid he would take their pity in bad part, they "waited a
while."

Carl, honest soul, stood about in Lieders's workshop, kicking the
shavings with his heels for half an hour, and grinned sheepishly,
and was told what a worthless, scamping, bragging lot the "boys" at
Lossing's were, and said he guessed he had got to go home now; and so
departed, unwitting that his presence had been a consolation. Mrs. Olsen
asked Carl what Lieders said; Carl answered simply, "Say, Freda, that
man feels terrible bad."

Meanwhile Thekla seemed easily satisfied. She made no outcry as Lieders
had dreaded, over his leaving the shop.

"Well, then, papa, you don't need git up so early in the morning no
more, if you aint going to the shop," was her only comment; and Lieders
despised the mind of woman more than ever.

But that evening, while Lieders was down town (occupied, had she known
it, with a codicil to his will), she went over to the Olsens and found
out all Carl could tell her about the trouble in the shop. And it was
she that made the excuse of marketing to go out the next day, that
she might see the rich widow on the hill who was talking about a china
closet, and Judge Trevor, who had asked the price of a mantel, and Mr.
Martin, who had looked at sideboards (all this information came from
honest Carl); and who proposed to them that they order such furniture
of the best cabinet-maker in the country, now