been up to mischief and deserves a licking, wishes, indeed, that its
master would go to it and get it over soon so that they could come back
to the old normal friendship. Adelle herself felt cold with excitement
of all sorts, and could hardly control her voice enough to say
unconcernedly,--

"Haven't seen you, Mr. Clark, for some time."

"No!" (Head down.) "Just thought I'd take a little vacation--and rest
up."

"Did you go up to San Francisco?"

"Yep!"

"Did you see another opera?"

"There weren't no opera this trip," the mason replied, spitting out his
quid. "I--seed--other things."

"Is that so--what?"

The mason did not reply, but there was a reckless gleam in his blue
eyes. He worked vigorously, then volunteered evasively,--

"I was just celebratin' around."

"Celebrating what?"

"Things in general--what you was tellin' me about our bein' cousins," he
said, with a touch of his usual humor.

"Oh!" Adelle replied, discomposed. He had been thinking about it, then.

"Thought it deserved some celebratin'," Clark added.

Adelle's heart beat a little faster. If he only knew the whole
truth!--then there would be something to celebrate, indeed!

"The strike's off," the mason remarked soon, as if he were anxious to
get away from his own misdeeds.

"Is it?"

"Yep! They made a compromise--that's what they call it when the fellers
on top get together and deal it out so the men lose."

"I suppose, then, you will be going back to the city when you finish the
work here?" Adelle asked.

"Maybe--I dunno--got some money comin' to me"--Adelle's guilty heart
stood quite still. "I ain't drawed a cent on this job so far," he added
to her relief. "Perhaps I'll blow in what's coming to me in goin' East
to see where my folks used to live in Alton."

He spoke half in jest, but Adelle replied faintly,--

"That might be a good idea."

"I heard from one of my sisters while I was gone. She's in
Philadelphy--married to a feller there that works in the carpet mills. I
ain't seen her for more 'n ten years--might stop in Philadelphy, too."

Adelle was curious to know whether this was the sister who "had gone
wrong," but did not know how to phrase the question. After a time, she
felt the temptation to tell the mason what she knew becoming
intolerable. Her mind hovered about her secret as a bird hovers over a
great void; she was irresistibly drawn to the fatal plunge. She moved
off while she yet felt the power to do so w