e,
do you see? And I say now, I'll own it up--I was right down _jealous_
of _you_, too! Wasn't it silly? And I ask your pardon. You're an
awfully good sort, Harry, though you're so d----d serious--you get too
much in earnest, take things too hard, you know. Will you shake hands
with me, knowing what a fool I've been? I say, you're the best chap in
the world, old man--if only you were a little more _human_ once in a
while."

He put out his hand and I met it. "Will you shake hands with me, Cal?"
said I, "on precisely those same terms about having been an awful
fool? It's you who are the best chap in the world. And I'll admit
it--I was jealous of you!"

He roared at this. "Well," said he, "as George Cohan says, 'All's well
that ends well', and I guess we couldn't beat this for a championship
year, now could we? Now say, about Dingleheimer----"

"Oh, hang Dingleheimer, Cal!" I exclaimed. "What I want to know is,
did you ever talk any to Miss Emory about--well, about me, you
know?--say anything about my affairs, or anything, you know? I mean
while you were there on the boat together."

"No. She wouldn't let me. Besides, the truth is, I was so full of
Sally all the time, I mostly talked about _her_. By Jove! that was a
measly trick you played us, running off with the boat from under my
nose! But I proposed to Sally in Natchez that night, and she came on
down to the city the next day by rail--while _I_ ran down in that
dirty little scow you left behind. And I never tumbled for days that
it was _you_ had run off with the boat--though I found a photo of
Helena and your cigarette case in the boat you left. Never tumbled
till that story of the taxi driver came out. Then I said, 'Well, of
all things! Wonder if that old stick has really come to life after
all!' And you sure had! What's in _your_ letter? Say, ain't a boat the
place----"

"But how did you happen to be here?"

"Oh, I've known Ed Manning years, in New York, Paris, all around. He
asked me to visit him some time. I wired and asked him if I could come
out for our honeymoon--you know, Harry, I'm such a d----d romantic son
of a gun, and once before I was out here at Ed's, and those d----d
nightingales, catbirds, what d'ye call 'ems----"

"--Mockers."

"Yes, mockers, they sung so sweet, especial in the evenings, you
know--and I'm so d----d romantic--_always_ was thataway--and you know,
why, a fellow _can_ be romantic on his honeymoon, can't he?--he can
just cut lo