ulfill her desire to sniff. There was cold hauteur in her stare as
she met the smile of Whitney Barnes and replied to his query:

"Yes, Mr. Barnes, your father is in and alone."

"Thank you, Miss Featherington," cried the young man, gaily, and an
instant later the little party of four had vanished behind a mahogany
portal.

Joshua Barnes was bent over his desk writing, as the door opened
noiselessly and the four young people entered. When he looked up his
son, Travers Gladwin and Helen were lined up beside his chair, the two
young men smiling sheepishly and the girls blushing crimson and
looking down at the floor.

"Hello, Pater," opened Whitney Barnes, "you remember Travers Gladwin.
This is Mrs. Gladwin, a bride of sixty-seven minutes!"

Old Grim Barnes was on his feet in an instant with a gallant bow to
Helen and a hearty handshake for the bridegroom.

For a second or two he failed to descry Sadie, who, as per rehearsal,
was hidden behind the two young men. As, with a look of surprise, he
spied her, Helen drew Sadie to her and managed to stammer:

"And this is my cousin Sadie, Mr. Barnes."

Sadie dropped a timid courtesy, her face on fire.

"How do you do, Miss--er"----

Joshua Barnes was feasting his eyes on Sadie's shy beauty and smiling
benignly.

"I didn't catch the name," he added, turning to Helen.

"B-b-b," she began, when Whitney Barnes came to her rescue.

"Barnes, pater--Mrs. Sadie; that is, Mrs. Whitney Barnes--a bride of
seventy-seven minutes."

Whitney Barnes beamed upon his father and put his arm about the old
gentleman's shoulders to support him.

"How do you like my choice, dad?--isn't she a darling? Why don't you
ask to kiss the bride?"

Joshua Barnes breathed with difficulty for a moment and his eyes
blinked. Slowly he looked for confirmation in the faces of the
newlywed Gladwins, and when they both nodded and smiled, he returned
his glance to Sadie, who had turned very pale and was beginning to
tremble.

The mustard king shook off his son's arm and gathered Sadie to him
with a bear hug.

He kissed her ten times in succession and then let her down in his
chair and patted her shoulder. Joshua Barnes was so happy that tears
glistened in his eyes. He continued to look at Sadie for a long moment
before he turned to his son and gulped:

"Whitney Barnes, you scoundrel--have you been keeping this from me?"

"Why no, dad," came the laughing answer. "I telephoned you about it
last n