ed only
the more disturbed and was not to be hurried.

"'Bout that little girl--" he began, but was unceremoniously cut short
by Champney.

"Oh, damn the girl, just for once, Uncle Jo. What I want to know is, how
you came to hear anything about me in connection with the quarry
syndicate."

The old man persisted: "I'm a-tryin' to get a-holt of that man's name
that got her up here--"

"Van Ostend," Champney suggested; "is that the name you want?"

"That's him, Van Ostend; that's the one. He an' the rest was hevin' a
meetin' right here in this office 'fore they went to the train, an' I
was settin' outside the winder an' heerd one on 'em say: 'Thet Mis'
Googe's a stunner; what's her son like, does any one know?' An' I heerd
Mr. Van Ostend say: 'She's very unusual; if her son has half her
executive ability'--them's his very words--'we might work him in with
us. It would be good business policy to interest, through him, the land
itself in its own output, so to speak, besides being something of a
courtesy to Mis' Googe. I've met him twice.' Then they fell to
discussin' the lay of The Gore and the water power at The Corners."

"Bully for you, Uncle Jo!" Champney slapped the rounded shoulders with
such appreciative heartiness that the old man's pipe threatened to be
shaken from between his toothless gums. "You have heard the very thing
I've been hoping for. Tave never let on that he knew anything about it."

"He didn't, only what I told him." Old Quimber cackled weakly. "I guess
Tave's got his hands too full at Champo to remember what's told him;
what with the little girl an' Romanzo--no offence, Colonel." He looked
apologetically at the Colonel who waved his hand with an airiness that
disposed at once of the idea of any feeling on his part in regard to
family revelations. "I heerd tell thet the little girl hed turned his
head an' Tave couldn't git nothin' in the way of work out of him."

"In that case I must look into the matter." The Colonel spoke with stern
gravity. "Both Mrs. Caukins and I would deplore any undue influence that
might be brought to bear upon any son of ours at so critical a period of
his career."

Mr. Wiggins laughed; but the laugh was only a disguised sneer. "Perhaps
you'll come to your senses, Colonel, when you've got an immigrant for a
daughter-in-law. Own up, now, you didn't think your 'competing
industrial thousands' might be increased by some half-Irish
grandchildren, now did you?"

Champne