ok of admiration her
brother gave her; and George Nelson's eyes twinkled.

"And this is Mr. Henty!" cried Mrs. Nelson, after her first little cry.

"Yes," said Evan, looking at Lou, "this is the other rube."

Lou's face burned.

"I didn't include Mr. Henty," she explained, "when I used to call you a
rube, brother. In fact, you both look like real sports now."

"Oh, we're sports all right," said A. P., laughing with peculiar
animation.

Was there nothing lacking at that lunch-party? Why then did Evan, for
brief moments, seem absent-minded? Probably it was the bank union that
engaged his thoughts. His sister had so many questions to ask him he
could not get a chance to formulate a sufficiently sly question about
Hometon, and the people there. When he observed that he was going up,
with Henty, to rest a while, his mother said:

"You'll see everything the way you left it; nothing new to tell you,
son. Except--oh, well!--How many thousand miles have you travelled?"

"We estimate them in millions," said Henty, soberly.

Noon-hour passed away very rapidly, and the boys escorted the Nelsons
over to the Hall. Henty was informed that somebody waited to see him.
It was the old gentleman.

He was dressed in typically farmer style, and wore a merry smile.
After a brief greeting with his son he turned for an introduction to
Lou, and was soon chuckling at everything she said.

One of the reception committee came hurrying up to Evan and whispered
that the assembly was waiting.

"We've got a box for your folk," said the bankclerk.

The other boxes were filled with ladies, none of whom were more
attractive than Lou Nelson. Old man Henty pushed her chair out where a
thousand bankmen might admire her, and it took her several minutes to
master the color in her cheeks.

The two "organizers" came on the platform together, and the audience
applauded generously. Evan sat down while Henty, his face aflame,
announced in quavering voice:

"Ladies and gentlemen, and especially boys of Bankerdom, instead of
introducing you to Mr. Nelson and myself we will ask you all to stand
and sing the Canadian National Anthem."

The orchestra leader faced the audience, with his baton poised, and one
of the players led in the singing. The sound of the pipe organ itself
was drowned in the strains of "O Canada" that swelled from so many
young Canadian throats.

Thoroughly thrilled, when the singing was done Evan arose to speak.
There