e over at the
camp that day when one of our construction plans was lost. She
found it for us. And Lieutenant Rayburn and I have been grateful
many times since," he added.

Jed recognized him then.

"Well, I snum!" he exclaimed. "Of course! Sartin! If it hadn't
been for you I'd have lost my life and Babbie'd have lost her clam
chowder. That carpenter feller would have had me hung for a spy in
ten minutes more. I'm real glad to see you, Colonel--Colonel Wood.
That's your name, if I recollect right."

"Not exactly. My name is Grover, and I'm not a colonel, worse
luck, only a major."

"Sho! Grover, eh? Now how in the nation did I get it Wood? Oh,
yes, I cal'late 'twas mixin' up groves and woods. Tut, tut!
Wonder I didn't call you 'Pines' or 'Bushes' or somethin'. . . .
But there, sit down, sit down. I'm awful glad you dropped in. I'd
about given up hopin' you would."

He brought forward a chair, unceremoniously dumping two stacks of
carefully sorted and counted vanes and sailors from its seat to the
floor prior to doing so. Major Grover declined to sit.

"I should like to, but I mustn't," he said. "And I shouldn't claim
credit for deliberately making you a social call. I came--that is,
I was sent here on a matter of--er--well, first aid to the injured.
I came to see if you would lend me a crank."

Jed looked at him. "A--a what?" he asked.

"A crank, a crank for my car. I motored over from the camp and
stopped at the telegraph office. When I came out my car refused to
go; the self-starter appears to have gone on a strike. I had left
my crank at the camp and my only hope seemed to be to buy or borrow
one somewhere. I asked the two or three fellows standing about the
telegraph office where I might be likely to find one. No one
seemed to know, but just then the old grouch--excuse me, person who
keeps the hardware store came along."

"Eh? Phin Babbitt? Little man with the stub of a paint brush
growin' on his chin?"

"Yes, that's the one. I asked him where I should be likely to find
a crank. He said if I came across to this shop I ought to find
one."

"He did, eh? . . . Hum!"

"Yes, he did. So I came."

"Hum!"

This observation being neither satisfying nor particularly
illuminating, Major Grover waited for something more explicit. He
waited in vain; Mr. Winslow, his eyes fixed upon the toe of his
visitor's military boot, appeared to be mesmerized.

"So I came," repeated the maj