was not under control.

"No, no, you ought to do it for yourself, becauth it ith the right thing
to do, becauth it will make you feel stwonger and finer."

"Nope, it's you or nothing."

"Jack, you muthn't thay thuch thingth. I muthn't let you!"

"It is the first time I've ever cared what became of me," said Skippy
lugubriously. "You don't know what that pin means to me."

"But--"

"Do you realize what I'm going back to? Old associations, old habits and
a long, long, fight! And then there's Snorky. I've got to save him
too."

"But Jack--"

"I'm not asking for anything more than just your picture, nothing
more,--nothing that commits you to anything! But I do want that, I must
have that! I want to rise up every morning and remember and, and I want
to come back every night and know that I can face your eyes," said
Skippy warming up. "I say it must be a full face, not a profile, you
know."

"I haven't thaid I would," said Miss Jennie in dreadful perplexity.

"But you will."

There was a long silence.

"You will, won't you!"

"I--I will think it over," said Miss Tupper finally, remembering the
terrific report which her sister had brought her via Snorky Green. "I
will give you my dethition after thupper."

That evening, Skippy, excusing himself from Snorky, who was taking
Margarita to a lecture on the fauna and flora of Yucatan, set out for
the parsonage with a thumping heart. If the truth be told he was not
altogether convinced of the durability of his attraction for Miss
Jennie, but he was quite certain of one thing, if there was even a
sporting chance of Snorky's adding the blonde sister to his photographic
gallery in the communal room in the Kennedy House, he could never
confess failure! The state of his own emotion perplexed him. When he was
away, he could look on with a certain amused calm as though the whole
thing were but a fascinating game. Indeed, at times he felt gorgeously,
terrifically guilty, the gayest and blackest of black Lotharios. Yet no
sooner had he looked into the soft velvety eyes and felt the touch of
her warm fingers than he was certain, absolutely certain that his life's
decision had been made, that he wanted to stand forth as a man of the
strongest character, and slowly and patiently struggle upward to those
heights where serenely she would wait for him.

He consumed three cigarettes--rapidly and faithfully, to make up the
seven of the daily quota, mutually agreed upon; flicked t