the children?"
"Oh, how kind of you! Very well, and very proud to be left in charge of
the smoking wrecks."
Fulkerson naturally paid no attention to what she said, being but
secondarily interested in the children at the best. "Here are some
things right in this neighborhood, within gunshot of the office, and if
you want you can go and look at them to-night; the agents gave me houses
where the people would be in."
"We will go and look at them instantly," said Mrs. March. "Or, as soon
as you've had coffee with us."
"Never do," Fulkerson replied. He gathered up his hat and stick. "Just
rushed in to say Hello, and got to run right away again. I tell you,
March, things are humming. I'm after those fellows with a sharp stick
all the while to keep them from loafing on my house, and at the same
time I'm just bubbling over with ideas about 'The Lone Hand--wish we
could call it that!--that I want to talk up with you."
"Well, come to breakfast," said Mrs. March, cordially.
"No; the ideas will keep till you've secured your lodge in this vast
wilderness. Good-bye."
"You're as nice as you can be, Mr. Fulkerson," she said, "to keep us in
mind when you have so much to occupy you."
"I wouldn't have anything to occupy me if I hadn't kept you in mind,
Mrs. March," said Fulkerson, going off upon as good a speech as he could
apparently hope to make.
"Why, Basil," said Mrs. March, when he was gone, "he's charming! But
now we mustn't lose an instant. Let's see where the places are." She
ran over the half-dozen agents' permits. "Capital-first-rate-the very
thing-every one. Well, I consider ourselves settled! We can go back to
the children to-morrow if we like, though I rather think I should like
to stay over another day and get a little rested for the final pulling
up that's got to come. But this simplifies everything enormously, and
Mr. Fulkerson is as thoughtful and as sweet as he can be. I know you
will get on well with him. He has such a good heart. And his attitude
toward you, Basil, is beautiful always--so respectful; or not that so
much as appreciative. Yes, appreciative--that's the word; I must always
keep that in mind."
"It's quite important to do so," said March.
"Yes," she assented, seriously, "and we must not forget just what kind
of flat we are going to look for. The 'sine qua nons' are an elevator
and steam heat, not above the third floor, to begin with. Then we
must each have a room, and you must have yo
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