an. Then he stopped. You can't bawl out a question
about another man's love affairs before a whole mob.

"Yu fallers ban fine tu me," Ole began again. "Aye lak yu bully! Ven yu
come by St. Paul, take Yim Hill's railroad and come to Sven Akerson's
camp, femt'n mile above Lars Hjellersen's gang. Aye ban boss of Sven's
camp now. Aye gat yu gude time and plenty flapyack."

He turned to go. Allie and I got up and walked firmly down the walk with
him. We were going to be relieved of our suspense if we had to buy the
information.

"Now, Ole," said Allie, grabbing his carpet-bag, "you know we're not
going to let you go down to the train alone. Besides, we want to know
if everything is all right with you. You know we love you. We're for
you, Ole. You--you and Miss Spencer parting good friends?"

"Yu bet!" said Ole enthusiastically. "She ban fine gur'rl, Aye tal yu.
Sum day Aye ban sending her deerskin from lumber camp."

Bangs braced up again. "Er--you and Miss Spencer--er--not engaged, are
you?" he said, the way a fellow goes at it when he is diving into cold
water. Ole looked around in perfect good humor. "Get married by each
odder?" he said. "Yee whiz! no, Master Bangs. She ban nice gur'rl. It
ent any nicer in Siwash College. But she kent cook. She kent build fire
in woodstove. She kent wash. She kent bake flatbrot. She kent make
close. She yust ban purty, like picture. Vat for Aye vant to marry
picture gallery? Aye ban tu poor faller fur picture gallery, Aye tank."

"But, Ole," says I, jumping in, "you've been rushing the girl all winter
as if your life depended on it. What did you mean by that?"

Ole turned around patiently and sat down on the steps of the First
Methodist Church, which happened to be passing just then. "Vell, Aye tal
yu," he explained. "Miss Spencer she ban nice tu me. She go tu class
party 'nd ent give dam vat das Frankling faller say. Aye ent forget dat,
Aye tal yu; 'nd, by yimminy Christmas! Aye show her gude time all
right."

We took Ole to the station and sat down to rest three times on the way
back. So all that terrific performance was a reward for Miss Spencer! "O
gratitude!" says the poet, "how many crimes are committed in thy name!"

We were so dazed that night that it didn't occur to us to wonder why
Miss Spencer stood for all the gratitude. But the next day, when the
exercises were over, that young lady stepped down from the platform and
was met by a tall chap whom she later introduced t