"Who said? What?"

"Why, Colton. He was in here yesterday. Opened what he called a
household account; that was his main business. But he asked about you,
along with it."

This explained some things. It was clear now why Small had appeared so
interested. "Oh!" I said.

"You bet he did. Wanted to know if I knew you, and what you were, and so
on. I told him I knew you pretty well. 'What sort of a fellow is he?
A damn fool?' he asked. I strained the truth enough to say you were a
pretty good fellow and a long ways from that kind of a fool, according
to my reckoning. 'Umph!' says he. 'Is he rich?' I told him I guessed you
wan't so rich that you got round-shouldered lugging your money. 'Why?'
says I, getting curious. 'Have you met him, Mr. Colton? If you have you
ought to have sized him up yourself. I always heard you were a pretty
fair judge.' He looked at me kind of funny. 'I thought I was,' says he,
'but you seem to raise a new variety down here.' Then I guess he thought
he'd said enough. At any rate, he walked off. What did you and he say to
each other, Ros?"

I did not answer immediately. When I did the answer was non-committal.
"Oh, we had a business interview," I said.

He nodded. "Well," he observed, "I suppose it's your affair and not
mine. But, I tell you this, Ros: if it's what I suppose it is, it'll be
everybody's affair pretty soon."

"You think so, do you?"

"I know so. Cap'n Jed's a fighter and he is on the war path. The two
sides are lining up already. Whichever way you decide you'll make
enemies, of course."

I shrugged my shoulders. The prospect of enemies, more or less, in
Denboro, did not trouble me.

"But you'll have to decide," he went on, "who you'll sell to."

"Or not sell at all," I suggested.

"Can you afford to do that? There'll be money--a whole lot of money--in
this before it's over, if I know the leaders on both sides. You've got
the whip-hand. There'll be money in it. Can you afford to let it slip?"

I did not answer. Suddenly his expression changed. He looked haggard and
care-worn.

"By the Almighty," he said, between his teeth, and without looking at
me, "I wish I had your chance."

"Why?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing. . . . How's your mother nowadays?"

I told him that my mother was much as usual, and we talked of various
things.

"By the way," he said, "I've got some news for you. Nothing surprising.
I guess all hands have seen it coming. I'm engaged to be married."

"