slowly, while I ran over in my mind
all the lover heroics I had ever heard of from runaway horses to the use
of a hated blond rival. "You couldn't get hurt slightly out at the
power-house, could you?"

"And ruin my boast that I have the most perfectly organized force and
machinery in the state? Not if I know myself," answered Tolly, with
business indignation and an utter lack of lover's enthusiasm at the
prospect of getting his lady-love by a ruse.

"Well, I don't know what you are going to do," I said, limply, as I saw
that none of the things that had ever been acted before were within
Tolly's reach.

"I don't know, either," answered Tolly; and again his head dropped into
his hands.

"What did she say the last time you asked her?" I questioned. I
considered it my duty to get to the bottom of the matter, as I had been
called in consultation.

"Ask her? Thunderation! I never have asked her! I've never got that near
to her!" he exclaimed, in a perfect outburst of indignation.

Then I laughed. I laughed so that Tolly had to pat me on the back to
make me get my breath, and a sleeping mocking-bird scolded outright from
a tree by the porch.

"Why don't you do it by telephone?" I gasped.

"By George! that _is_ the idea, all right, Betty!" Tolly exclaimed, with
his face positively radiant. I had flung his love troubles into a class
of affairs that he could handle. "I tell you what I am going to do. I am
going to have my wire chief cut Edith's line and make me a direct
connection with mine at about nine o'clock to-morrow morning, as that is
the time he is in less of a rush with all the other things to attend to.
Then I'll put it to her good and straight if she holds on to the
receiver and hears me out."

"But Edith might go over to Boliver to visit May Jessamine Ray for a
week at nine o'clock to-morrow. Oh, go do it to-night, Tolly!" I
pleaded.

"And let that doll-faced girl at Central hear me? Not much!" answered
Tolly, indignantly.

"I didn't mean that," I answered. "Go to her armed with your love,
Tolly, and make--make her listen to you."

"Armed with a sand-bag to slug her would be more like it, if I expected
to get anywhere with her. No, you've hit it, Betty, and I'm going on
down the street and see just where that Morris line goes into the trunk.
Hope Judson won't have to run more than a mile of wire to make that
connection." And with no more gratitude or good night than that Tolly
went down the street wi