of being ignored by
a superior being.

"I say!" he burst out, when he could endure the ignominy of his position
no longer, "don't you remember me, Mr. O'Malley?"

The man who guided the car did not turn his head but he nodded.

"I remember you all right," replied he politely. "I just thought you did
not remember me."

"Oh, I remembered you right away," declared Steve eagerly.

"Did you?"

There was a subtle irony in the tone that the lad was not clever enough
to detect.

"Of course."

"Is that so!" came dryly from O'Malley.

"Yes, indeed! I remembered you right away," Steve stumbled on. "You are
the man who gave me the gasoline when I was stuck here Wednesday."

"I am."

"I knew you the first minute I saw you," repeated Stephen.

"I did not notice any sign that you did," was the terse response.

"Oh--well--you see, I couldn't very well speak back there," explained
Steve with confusion. "They would all have wanted to know where I--I
mean I would have to--it would just have made a lot of talk," concluded
he lamely.

For the first time the elder man, moving his eyes from the ribbon of
gleaming highway, confronted him.

"So your father did not know you had the car out the other day?" said
he.

"N--o."

The workman showed no surprise.

"I guessed as much," he remarked. "But of course you have told him
since."

"Not yet," Steve stammered. "I was going to--honest I was; but things
kept interrupting until it got to be so late that it seemed silly to
rake the matter all up. Besides, I shan't do it again, so what is the
use of jawing about it?"

He stopped, awaiting a response from the railroad employee; but none
came.

"Anyhow," he argued with rising irritability, "what good does it do to
discuss things that are over and done with? You can't undo them."

The man at the wheel vouchsafed no answer.

"It is because I forgot to stop for more gas when I went home the other
day that we are in this fix now," Steve finally blurted out, finding
relief in brutal confession.

Still the only reply to his monologue was the chugging of the engine.

At last his voice rose to a higher pitch and there was anger in it.

"I'm talking to you," he shouted in exasperation.

"I am listening."

"Well, why don't you say something?"

"What is there to say?"

"Why--eh--you could tell me what you think."

"I guess you know that already."

Stephen's face turned scarlet.

"I did intend to tell my father," repea