whatever happens--oh, if all La Salle Street should burn to the
ground, and all your millions of bushels of wheat with it--whatever
happens, you--will--not--leave--me--nor think of anything else but just
me, me. That evening is mine, and you will give it to me, just as I
have said. I won't remind you of it again. I won't speak of it again. I
will leave it to you. But--you will give me that evening if you love
me. Dear, do you see just what I mean? ... If you love me.... No--no
don't say a word, we won't talk about it at all. No, no, please. Not
another word. I don't want you to promise, or pledge yourself, or
anything like that. You've heard what I said--and that's all there is
about it. We'll talk of something else. By the way, have you seen Mr.
Cressler lately?"

"No," he said, falling into her mood. "No haven't seen Charlie in over
a month. Wonder what's become of him?"

"I understand he's been sick," she told him. "I met Mrs. Cressler the
other day, and she said she was bothered about him."

"Well, what's the matter with old Charlie?"

"She doesn't know, herself. He's not sick enough to go to bed, but he
doesn't or won't go down town to his business. She says she can see him
growing thinner every day. He keeps telling her he's all right, but for
all that, she says, she's afraid he's going to come down with some kind
of sickness pretty soon."

"Say," said Jadwin, "suppose we drop around to see them this afternoon?
Wouldn't you like to? I haven't seen him in over a month, as I say. Or
telephone them to come up and have dinner. Charlie's about as old a
friend as I have. We used to be together about every hour of the day
when we first came to Chicago. Let's go over to see him this afternoon
and cheer him up."

"No," said Laura, decisively. "Curtis, you must have one day of rest
out of the week. You are going to lie down all the rest of the
afternoon, and sleep if you can. I'll call on them to-morrow."

"Well, all right," he assented. "I suppose I ought to sleep if I can.
And then Sam is coming up here, by five. He's going to bring some
railroad men with him. We've got a lot to do. Yes, I guess, old girl,
I'll try to get forty winks before they get here. And, Laura," he
added, taking her hand as she rose to go, "Laura, this is the last lap.
In just another month now--oh, at the outside, six weeks--I'll have
closed the corner, and then, old girl, you and I will go somewheres,
anywhere you like, and then we'll hav