n a moment later he put down more cakes on
the table and then shook his guest's hand in farewell. "I got to leave
you now fer the day; Miner's come to git me to start fer the store, but
there's one thing I want you to recollect while you're waitin' here fer
me, sonnie, and that's that the good Lord sends a new day once in every
twenty-four hours just to show folks they kin begin agen."

It was a long day in the shop both to Miner and Ambrose. Inevitably the
little man had grown more morose and bitter as the years went by. For in
spite of Emily's and Ambrose's pleading he had gone but seldom to his
old place under the apple tree after their marriage, and when his six
sisters made homes of their own he had lived entirely alone. Indeed old
Moses had seemed the only companion he had ever cared for except
Ambrose, and on the day of Ambrose's second marriage the dog had moved
himself and his allegiance from the tall man's house to the little one's
and had never gone home again except to be buried.

Ambrose kept surreptitiously watching the clock from the noon hour on
until his partner removed it clean out of sight in the back of the shop:
however, an hour before closing time Ambrose began putting away his
share of the stock, remarking airily, "I thought I'd git away a little
sooner than usual this evenin', Miner, ef you don't mind."

To this the little man at first returned nothing, but seeing his friend
step over to their assortment of new neckties and laying aside his old
lavender one begin to match a bright red one to the shade of his own
complexion, he sighed. "I reckon you feel it comin' on agen, Ambrose?"

Ambrose nodded. "It started last night at the social," he replied
truthfully, "and then those other two men's actions kind er sicked me
on. Peachy has done ripened and sweetened considerable; mebbe you
noticed it, Miner?" he ended hopefully.

But Miner only scowled. "She's fat and old, but t'aint nothin' to you,
Ambrose Thompson, once you're started. I was kind er hopin' you'd be
faithful to Em'ly."

However, in the midst of his reproach his partner had vanished;
nevertheless, ten minutes later, he came back into the shop and seating
himself on the counter appeared lost in thought for some little time.

"Miner," he confessed finally, "I am a-settin' here tryin' to git a
little light on the subject of myself. I ain't feelin' unfaithful to
Em'ly 'cause I'm noticin' the widow; I never felt unfaithful to Sarah
when