ghter. I suggested a rich wife, but that seemed to hurt
his feelings. He said it would be bad enough to marry a girl that had
more than he had; but to marry a rich girl, when he had only the few
hundreds a year that he can make writing stories, was an intolerable
thought. And that's all the more creditable to him because, from what I
can gather, he is desperately in love--and the girl is potentially
rich."

"But," said Cynthia, "what have I to do with all this?"

Her father laughed. "This young fellow didn't come to me of his own
accord. I sent for him. And I must tell you that, contrary to my
expectations, I was charmed with him. If I had had a son I should wish
him to be just like this youngster."

Cynthia was very much puzzled.

"He writes stories?" she said.

"Bully stories! But he takes so much pains that his output is small."

"Well," said she, "what did you tell him?"

"I told him to wait."

"That's conservative advice."

"As a small boy," said her father, "he was very delicate; but now he's
as sound as a bell and he looks as strong as an elk."

Cynthia rose to her feet, trembling slightly.

"What was the matter with him--when he was delicate?"

"Consumption."

She became as it were taller--and vivid with beauty.

"Where is he?"

"In the library."

Cynthia put her hands on her father's shoulders.

"It's all right," she said; "his family has come into quite a lot of
money. He doesn't know it yet. They're going to give him enough to marry
on. You still think he ought to marry--don't you?"

They kissed.

Cynthia flew out of the room, across the hall, and into the library.

_They_ kissed!

THE TRAP

The animals went in two by two.
Hurrah! Hurrah!

Given Bower for a last name, the boys are bound to call you "Right" or
"Left." They called me "Right" because I usually held it, one way or
another. I was shot with luck. No matter what happened, it always worked
out to my advantage. All inside of six months, for instance, the mate
fell overboard and I got his job; the skipper got drunk after weathering
a cyclone and ran the old _Boldero_ aground in "lily-pad" weather--and I
got his. Then the owner called me in and said: "Captain Bower, what do
you know about Noah's Ark?" And I said: "Only that 'the animals went in
two by two. Hurrah! Hurrah!'" And the owner said: "But how did he feed
'em--specially the meat-eaters?" And I said: "He got hold of a Hindu who
had his arm