could not
correct.

"Good day! Good day, Miss Janice! Happy to see you! Fine Spring
weather--yes, yes," he said, with great cordiality, removing his silk
hat. "Charming weather, indeed. It has tempted me out for a
walk--yes, yes!" and he rolled by, swinging his cane and bobbing his
head.

Janice knew that nowadays the major's walks always led him to the Lake
View Inn. Mrs. Price and Maggie did their best to hide the major's
missteps, but the children on the streets, seeing the local magnate
making heavy work of his journey back up the hill, would giggle and
follow on behind, an amused audience. This was another victim of the
change in Polktown's temperance situation.

Poor Major Price----

"Hi, Janice! Did you notice the 'still' the major's got on?" called
the cheerful voice of Marty, her cousin. "He's got more than he can
carry comfortably already; Walky Dexter will be taking him home again.
He did the other night."

"No, Marty! did he?" cried the troubled girl.

"Sure," chuckled Marty. "Walky says he thinks some of giving up the
express business and buyin' himself a hack. Some of these old soaks
around town will be glad to ride home under cover after a session at
Lem Parraday's place. Think of Walky as a 'nighthawk'!" and Marty, who
was a short, freckled-faced boy several years his cousin's junior, went
off into a spasm of laughter.

"Don't, Marty!" cried Janice, in horror. "Don't talk so lightly about
it! Why, it is dreadful!"

"What's dreadful? Walky getting a hack?"

"Be serious," commanded his cousin, who really had gained a great deal
of influence over the thoughtless Marty during the time she had lived
in Polktown. "Oh, Marty! I've just seen such a dreadful thing!"

"Hullo! What's that?" he asked, eyeing her curiously and ceasing his
laughter. He knew now that she was in earnest.

"That horrid old Jim Narnay--you know him?"

"Sure," agreed Marty, beginning to grin faintly again.

"He was intoxicated--really staggering drunk. And he came out of the
back door of the Inn, and some boys chased him out on to the street,
hooting after him. Perry Grimes and Sim Howell and some others. Old
enough to know better----"

"He, he!" chuckled Marty, exploding with laughter again. "Old Narnay's
great fun. One of the fellows the other day told him there was a brick
in his hat, and he took the old thing off to look into it to see if it
was true. Then he stood there and lectured us about