erybody said I was, but I'm goin' to let women alone till I'm old
enough to understand 'em.'"

"He'll let 'em alone a long time, then," said Henley, with a dry smile,
as he turned away.

The following Monday morning Henley found Cahews busy in the front part
of the store cleaning up and putting things straight on the shelves. As
soon as he saw his employer, Jim walked from behind the counter and
extended his hand: "Put it right there, Alf, an' give it a good, tight
shake," he grinned. "Richard is hisself at last. It's been an awful
up-hill fight, but I'm there--gee whiz! I'm there, an' don't you forget
it."

"So you really like Carrie? Well, I thought maybe you and her--"

"Carrie, hell! It's the other--damn it! Huh! you may think you know
some'n about women, but don't I? I was a long time learning how to turn
the trick, but I'm an expert now. I had the time of my life. It was a
clean walk-over from start to finish. I had the bit in my teeth, an' I
went ahead like the woods afire. I driv' around to Carrie's house,
dressed to kill. I had on my plug-hat, silk vest, light-gray pants,
dark-blue coat, and my new patent-leather shoes. I put the old gal in by
me an' away we shot. I saw that drummer and Julia ahead on a straight
piece of road plodding along like they was hauling a load of wood to
town, and I chirped to my Kentucky blue-blood, and, with Carrie's
ribbons flying in the wind like the flags of a war-ship, we passed like
a cannon-ball, leaving 'em in a cloud of dust as thick as a Texas
sand-storm. And the funniest part was that I didn't, somehow, care a
dern. I was on a new basis, an' believed in it."

"Well, you know I advised--" Henley began, but the eager clerk broke in:

"Yes, that was it; you started me on my new line, and it was the act of
a friend. It was that advice that saved me. But I reckon it was the
sight of that sap-headed idiot with my girl that did most of it. Well,
to come to the end, as soon as Julia and her dude got to the campground
she lit out of his buggy and made a bee-line to whar me and Carrie was
setting under the trees waiting for the first hymn. She stopped right
square in front of me as mad as a wet hen.

"'What did you mean by throwing dust on us?' she asked, as red as a
beet, her eyes flashing sparks. Right then I felt just a little
inclination to take back water, but I remembered, our talk t'other day,
and told myself it was now or never, and that the worm had turned over a
new