oks copyrighted and Jarvis was
one of them. We would have known it was he if we had seen him in a Roman
mob. After a while Bangs, who always did have a triple reenforced
Harveyized steel cheek, straightened up. "I'm going over to speak to
him," he said.

"Sit still, you fool," says I; "don't annoy him."

"Watch me," says Bangs; "I'm going over to introduce myself. He can't
any more than freeze me. And after I've spoken to him they can take my
little old job away from me and ship me back to the hayfields whenever
they please. I'll be satisfied."

"You ought to bottle that nerve of yours and sell it to the
lightning-rod pedlers," says I, getting all sweaty. "Just because you
introduced yourself to a governor once you think you can go as far as
you like. You stay right here--" But Bangs had gone over to Jarvis.

I sat there and blushed for him, and suffered the tortures of a man who
is watching his friend making a furry-eared nuisance of himself. There
was the greatest football player in the world being pestered by a
frying-sized sprig of a ninth assistant shipping clerk. It was
preposterous. I waited to see Bangs wilt and come slinking back. Then I
was going to put on my hat and walk out as if I didn't belong with him
at all. But instead of that Bangs shook hands with Jarvis, talked a
minute and then sat down with him. When Bangs is routed out by the Angel
Gabriel he'll sit down on the edge of his grave and delay the whole
procession, trying to find a mutual acquaintance or two. That's the kind
of a leather-skin he is.

Presently Bangs turned around and beckoned to me to come over. More
colossal impudence. I wasn't going to do it, but Jarvis turned, too, and
smiled at me. Like a hypnotized man I went over to their table. "I want
you to meet Mr. Jarvis," said Bangs, with the air of a man who is giving
away his aeroplane to a personal friend.

"Glad to meet you," said Jarvis kindly.

"M-m-m-mrugh," says I easily and naturally. Then I sat down on the edge
of a chair.

Well, sir, Jarvis--it was the real Jarvis all right--was as pleasant a
fellow as you would ever care to meet. There he was talking away to us
fishworms just as cordially as if he enjoyed it. He didn't seem to be a
bit better than we were. I've often noticed that when you meet the very
greatest people they are that way. It's only the fellows who aren't sure
they're great and who are pretty sure you aren't sure either, who have
to put up a haughty front