ng care not to inhale, smoked a
cigarette to the end. But the result was unsatisfactory. He burned his
fingers over the distasteful performance but acquired nothing in the way
of a stain. He smoked a second and a third and then seized by an
inspiration carefully rubbed in the moist ends.

* * * * *

When they walked back from the beach that morning Miss Jennie Tupper
lost no time in opening up the fascinating subject of the sinful one's
reclamation. Skippy had just brought forth a cigarette, tapped it
professionally on his wrist and said:

"Don't mind, do you?"

"I do mind," said Miss Tupper severely. "Juth look at your hand. It ith
thaking."

Skippy extended a palsied hand with the second and third fingers
yellowed like a Chinaman's.

"It's worse this morning," he said carelessly with the sigh of one who
contemplates stoically the approaching end.

"It's tewible, tewible to let a habit make a slave of you like that! At
your age too! How did it ever get such a dweadful hold on you?"

"I began as a boy," said Skippy slowly, for he had still to work out the
story. "You know how it is. Fast company, money in your pockets, no one
caring. That's it, that's how it was."

He raised the cigarette to his lips.

"Don't smoke it, pleath."

"Just one, just half a one," said Skippy with a haunted look. "My Lord,
it's been an hour--"

"Pleath for my thake, Jack."

He hesitated, swallowed hard, made one or two false gestures, and flung
away the cigarette.

"If you ask it like that," he said huskily.

"I'm going to athk more," said Miss Tupper with shining eyes. "I'm going
to athk you to pwomith never to touch another thigawette or another
card."

"I can't," said Skippy. "It's gone too far, it's beyond me."

"But it'll kill you, Jack," said Miss Tupper, alarm in the beautiful
eyes.

"I couldn't promise. I couldn't keep it," said Skippy, who had no
intention of relinquishing his dramatic advantage, "but I'll make a
fight for it. If you want me to--Jennie. If you really care?"

The moon ripple and the fragrance of the honeysuckle were no longer
about them. Miss Tupper in the calmer light of the day considered her
words with due regard to precept and standard.

"I'll be vewy glad, indeed, to help you if I can," she said properly.
"We should alwayth help ath much ath we can, shouldn't we?"

"How coldly you say it!" said Skippy indignantly.

"But Jack," said Miss Tupper, alarmed a