here?"

"Because the governor didn't want me in his office," says Hollis, "and
could get me into the Corrugated."

"Hah!" snorts Old Hickory. "Think we're running a retreat for younger
sons, do you!"

"If I started in with that idea," says Brink, "I'm rapidly getting over
it. And if you want to know, Mr. Ellins, I'm just as sick of working in
the bond room as you are of having me there."

"Then why in the name of the seven sins do you stick?" demands Old
Hickory.

Brink shrugs his shoulders. "Dad thinks it's best for me," says he. "He
imagines I'm making good. I suppose I've rather helped along the notion,
and he's due to get some jolt when he finds I've nose-dived to a crash."

"Unfortunately," says Old Hickory, "we cannot provide shock absorbers
for fond fathers. Any other reasons why you wished to remain on our pay
roll?"

"One," says Brink, "but it will interest you less than the first. If I
got a raise next month I was planning to be married."

Old Hickory sniffs. "That's optimism for you!" says he. "You expect us
to put a premium on the sort of work you've been doing? Bah!"

"Oh, why drag out the agony?" says Brink. "I knew I'd put a crimp in my
career when I remembered leaving that crab banquet program in the book.
Let's get to that."

"As you like," says Old Hickory. "Not that I attach any great importance
to such monkey shines, but we might as well take it up. So you think I'm
an old crab, do you?"

"I had gathered that impression," says Brink. "Seemed to be rather
general around the shop."

Old Hickory indulges in one of them grins that are just as humorous as a
crack in the pavement. "I've no doubt," says he. "And you conceived the
happy idea of dramatizing me as the leading comic feature for this
dinner party of my employees? It was a success, I trust."

"Appeared to take fairly well," says Brink.

"Pardon me if I seem curious," goes on Old Hickory, "but just how did
you--er--create the illusion?"

"Oh, I padded myself out in front," says Brink, "and stuck on a lot of
cotton for eyebrows, and used the make-up box liberal, and gave them
some red-hot patter on the line that--well, you know how you work off a
grouch, sir. I may have caught some of your pet phrases. Anyway, they
seemed to know who I meant."

"You're rather clever at that sort of thing, are you?" asks Old Hickory.

"Oh, that's no test," says Brink. "You can always get a hand with local
gags. And then, I did quite a lot of th