et married myself was somethin'
like this is--oh, _I_ wasn't a gilt loafer, like Henry is; I was
workin' sixteen hours a day, but I wasn't makin' money enough. Both
our fathers said so. And she'd have run off, but I wouldn't. Thought
it wasn't respectable, I guess. Anyhow, it kind of petered out, and I
lost my nerve. Wish to thunder I'd taken a chance when I had it. Worth
it, sometimes." He whirled on Henry, abruptly. "Well, you took _your_
chance. Now let's see if you think it's worth it. If you're figurin'
on any help from me, you got to work for it first. If you'd waited,
I'd kind of made things easy for you. Now, I'm goin' to hand you the
meanest job I can think of. It won't be an insult and it won't be a
joke, but maybe you'll take it for both--until you learn better."

"What is it, Uncle John?"

"I'll tell you when you get back from your honeymoon."

The two young people stared at each other, and at Mr. Starkweather.
"From our--what?" asked the girl, incredulously.

"Honeymoon. Oh, you made a couple of prize fools of yourselves, and if
I did what I ought to, I'd cut Henry off sharp this minute. But--guess
I better make a fool of _my_self, so you'll feel more at home." He
coughed explosively. "Besides, you're awful young, both of you--and
damn it, if you don't cash in on it now, next thing you know you'll be
wonderin' where the time's gone, anyway. No sense in robbin' you of
the best months of your life, just because you hadn't sense enough to
rob your_selves_ of it--is there? Oh, I suppose I'm a kind of a
sentimental cuss, but--must be I like the feelin' of it." He jerked
his head toward Henry. "This is April. Take her off somewhere--Italy?
South of France?--'till next August. Then you report back here, all
fixed and ready to eat crow. Sound fair to you?"

The girl rose, and crossed the room to him. "Mr. Starkweather--"

"Name's Uncle John," he corrected. "You married it."

"Uncle John--I--I don't know how to--" She bit her lip, and he saw the
depths of her eyes, and saw that they were filling with tears. She
gestured imperatively to Henry. "You know him better--_you_ tell
him."

Henry had sprung across to join them. "Uncle John, you're a peach!
I'll break rock on the streets if you say so! You're a peach!"

"Well," said Mr. Starkweather, uncomfortably. "If everybody else's
goin' to bawl, I guess it'll have to be contagious.... Only when you
get back, you're both goin' to pay the piper. I'm goin' to make