ense of
lonesomeness; and I guess that must be it."

In spite of herself Miss Josephine giggled and repressed it, and
giggled again and repressed it, and giggled again, and then she let
herself go and laughed as heartily as she pleased. She had heard men
say before, but always with more or less of a languishing air,
inevitably ridiculous in a man, that they thought it about time they
were getting married; but she could not remember anything to compare
with Sam Turner's naivete in the statement.

He paid no attention to the laughter, for he had suddenly leaned
forward to the chauffeur.

"There is another clump of walnut trees," he said, eagerly pointing
them out. "Are there many of them in this locality?"

"A good many scattered here and there," replied the boy; "but old man
Gifford has a twenty-acre grove down in the bottoms that's mostly all
walnut trees, and I heard him say just the other day that walnut
lumber's got so high he had a notion to clear his land."

"Where do you suppose we could find old man Gifford?" inquired Mr.
Turner.

"Oh, about six miles off to the right, at the next turning."

"Suppose we whizz right down there," said Sam promptly, and he turned
to Miss Stevens with enthusiasm shining in his eyes. "It does seem as
if everything happens lucky for me," he observed. "I haven't any
particular liking for the lumber business, but fate keeps handing
lumber to me all the time; just fairly forcing it on me."

"Do you think fate is as much responsible for that as yourself?" she
questioned, smiling as they passed at a good clip the turn which was to
have taken them over the pretty Bald Hill drive. Sam had not even
thought to apologize for the abrupt change in their program, because
she could certainly see the opportunity which had offered itself, and
how imperative it was to embrace it. The thing needed no explanation.

"I don't know," he replied to her query, after pausing to consider it a
moment. "I certainly don't go out of my road to hunt up these things."

"No-o-o-o," she admitted. "But fate hasn't thrust this particular
opportunity upon me, although I'm right with you at the time. It never
would have occurred to me to ask about those walnut trees."

"It would have occurred to your father," he retorted quickly.

"Yes, it might have occurred to father, but I think that under the
circumstances he would have waited until to-morrow to see about it."

"I suppose I might be that way whe