said Buck. "Same as if I was pulling up to the
start with fifty thousand on the nag. I want to ask your advice, A. A.
Just a little private matter. Oh, nothing serious. Nothing like that,
you know. I just thought maybe you'd--Gosh, I never saw it snow like
this up home, did you? Funny, too, when you think how tropical we ought
to be. There was a bad blizzard a coupla years ago in Buenos Aires,
but--"

"Come to the point, Buck. What's up?"

Buck lowered his voice. "Well, you see it's this way. I'm thinking
of getting married. Tomorrow, if possible. Don't laugh! I don't see
anything to laugh at in--"

"I beg your pardon, old chap. I couldn't help laughing. It's because I'm
happy. Don't mind me. Go ahead. You're thinking of getting married, eh?
Well, what's to prevent?"

"Do you approve of it? That's what I want to know."

"Sure. Of course, I approve of it."

"I just thought I'd make sure. You see, nobody's ever got married here
before, and I didn't know what you'd think of me--er--sort of breaking
the ice, don't you see."

"She's finally said 'yes,' has she? Good girl! Congratulations, old
chap,--thousands of 'em'--millions."

"Well, that takes some of the load off my mind," said Buck, as they
shook hands. "Now, there's one or two things more. First, she says she
won't come and live in a hut where five men besides myself are bunking.
I don't blame her, do you? Second, she says if we ever get rescued from
this island, she won't let me go to the war,--not a step, she swears.
I put up a holler right away. I says to her I was on my way to the war
before I ever met her, and then she says I ain't got anything on her.
She was going over to nurse. But she says if she gets married she's
going to claim exemption, or whatever they call it, and she says I got
to do the same,--'cause we'll both have dependents then. Then I says the
chances are the war's over by this time anyhow, and she says a feller
in the Argentine told her on his word of honour it wouldn't be over for
five years or more. But that's a minor point. What's rusting me is this:
how am I going to get rid of them five guys in my cabin?"

"Have you told them you're going to be married?"

"Oh, hell, they're the ones that told me."

"It's pretty rough weather to turn men out into the cold, unfeeling
world, Buck."

Buck scratched his ear in deep perplexity. "Well, it's got me guessing."
He slumped into an attitude of profound dejection. "What we'd ought to
ha