and accosted
him.

"Pleasant day. I see you're a stranger here, and I thought I might get
an item from you. Carter's my name, and I'm doing the reporting for
the _Mercury_. Be glad to make your acquaintance. Show you round a
little."

Harry was nonplussed for a moment. Such things did not use to occur in
this old-fashioned place as running about the streets picking up items
from people and asking personal questions for the paper to exploit the
replies. He looked twice at Sam Carter before responding.

"Thank you, I--I've been here before. I know the place pretty well."

"Very pretty place, don't you think so? Mean to stop for some time?"

"I hardly know as yet." Harry King mused a little, then resolved to
break his loneliness by accepting the casual acquaintance, and to
avoid personalities about himself by asking questions about the town
and those he used to know, but whom he preferred not to see. It was an
opportunity. "Yes, it is a pretty place. Have you been here long?"

"I've been here--let's see. About three years--maybe a little less.
You must have been away from Leauvite longer than that, I judge. I've
never left the place since I came and I never saw you before. No
wonder I thought you a stranger."

"I may call myself one--yes. A good many changes since you came?"

"Oh, yes. See the new courthouse? It's a beauty,--all solid
stone,--cost fifty thousand dollars. The _Mercury_ had a great deal to
do with bringing it about,--working up enthusiasm and the like,--but
there is a great deal of depression just now, and taxes running up.
People think government is taking a good deal out of them for such
public buildings, but, Lord help us! the government is needing money
just now as much as the people. It's hard to be public spirited when
taxes are being raised. You have people here?"

"Not now--no. Who's mayor here now?"

"Harding--Harding of the iron works. He makes a good one, too.
There's the new courthouse. The jail is underneath at the back. See
the barred windows? No breaking out of there. Three prisoners did
break out of the old one during the year this building was under
construction,--each in a different way, too,--shows how badly they
needed a new one. Quite an ornament to the square, don't you think
so?"

"The jail?"

"No, no,--The building as a whole. Better go over it while you're
here."

"I may--do so--yes."

"Staying some time, I believe you said."

"Did I? I may have said so."

"Sta