try another county with me, say so.
I'll make a thousand dollars this year out o' this thing."

"I guess I'll go back to school."

"All right; I don't blame you for wanting to do that."

"I guess, with what I can earn for father, I can pull through the year.
I _must_ get back. I'm awfully obliged to you, Jim."

"That'll do on that," said Hartley, shortly; "you don't owe me anything.
We'll finish delivery to-morrow, and be ready to pull out on Friday or
Sat."

There was an acute pain in Albert's breast somewhere; he had not
analyzed his case at all, and did not now, but the idea of going
affected him strongly. It had been so pleasant, that daily return to a
lovely girlish presence.

"Yes, sir," Hartley was going on, "I'm going to just quietly leave a
book on her centre-table. I don't know as it'll interest her much, but
it'll show we appreciate the grub, and so on. By jinks! you don't seem
to realize what a worker that woman is! Up five o'clock in the
morning--By-the-way, you've been going around with the girl a good deal,
and she's introduced you to some first-rate sales; now, if you want to
leave her a little something, make it a morocco copy, and charge it to
the firm."

Albeit knew that he meant well, but he couldn't, somehow, help saying,
ironically:

"Thanks, but I guess _one_ copy of Blaine's _Twenty Years_ will be
enough in the house, especially--"

"Well, give her anything you please, and charge it up to the firm. I
don't insist on Blaine; only suggested that because--"

"I guess I can stand the expense of a present."

"I didn't say you couldn't, man! But _I_ want a hand in this thing.
Don't be so turrible keen t' snap a feller up," complained Hartley,
turning on him. "What the thunder is the matter of you, anyway? I like
the girl, and she's been good to us all round; she tended you like an
angel--"

"There, there! That's enough o' that," put in Albert, hastily. "For
God's sake, don't whang away on that string forever, as if I didn't know
it!"

Hartley stared at him as he turned away.

"Well, by jinks! What _is_ the matter o' you?"

He was too busy to dwell upon it much, but concluded his partner was
homesick.

Albert was beginning to have a vague underconsciousness of his real
feeling toward the girl, but he fought off the acknowledgment of it as
long as possible. His mind moved in a circle, coming back to the one
point ceaselessly--a dreary prospect, in which that slender girl-figure
ha