ome reminiscent complacency; "the banquet,"
an affair now five years past, having provided the one time in his
life when he had been so distinguished among his fellow-citizens as to
receive an invitation to be present, with some seven hundred others, at
the annual eating and speech-making of the city's Chamber of Commerce.
"Anyhow, as you say, I think it would look foolish of me to wear a dress
suit for just one young man," he went on protesting, feebly. "What's the
use of all so much howdy-do, anyway? You don't expect him to believe we
put on all that style every night, do you? Is that what you're after?"

"Well, we want him to think we live nicely," she admitted.

"So that's it!" he said, querulously. "You want him to think that's our
regular gait, do you? Well, he'll know better about me, no matter how
you fix me up, because he saw me in my regular suit the evening she
introduced me to him, and he could tell anyway I'm not one of these
moving-picture sporting-men that's always got a dress suit on. Besides,
you and Alice certainly have some idea he'll come AGAIN, haven't you?
If they get things settled between 'em he'll be around the house and to
meals most any time, won't he? You don't hardly expect to put on style
all the time, I guess. Well, he'll see then that this kind of thing was
all show-off, and bluff, won't he? What about it?"

"Oh, well, by THAT time----" She left the sentence unfinished, as if
absently. "You could let us have a little money for to-morrow, couldn't
you, honey?"

"Oh, I reckon, I reckon," he mumbled. "A girl like Alice is some
comfort: she don't come around acting as if she'd commit suicide if she
didn't get three hundred and fifty dollars in the next five minutes. I
expect I can spare five or six dollars for your show-off if I got to."

However, she finally obtained fifteen before his bedtime; and the next
morning "went to market" after breakfast, leaving Alice to make the
beds. Walter had not yet come downstairs. "You had better call him,"
Mrs. Adams said, as she departed with a big basket on her arm. "I expect
he's pretty sleepy; he was out so late last night I didn't hear him come
in, though I kept awake till after midnight, listening for him. Tell him
he'll be late to work if he doesn't hurry; and see that he drinks his
coffee, even if he hasn't time for anything else. And when Malena comes,
get her started in the kitchen: show her where everything is." She
waved her hand, as she se