! but what'll his church do?" The lady bent from her chair and tied
her slipper.

"My dea' madam, what _can_ she do? She th'ows up--excuse the figgeh--she
th'ows up, I say, her foot to kick him out; he tearfully ketches it in
his ha-and an' retains it with the remahk, 'I repent!' What _can_ his
church do? She can do jest one thing!"

"What's that?" asked the lady, gathering his dishes without rising.

"Why she can make him marry Miz Proudfit!"

The lady got very red. "Captain Shotwell, I'll thaynk you not to allude
to that person to me again, seh!" She jerked one knee over the other and
folded her arms.

"My dea' madam! I was thoughtless! Fawgive me!" The Captain stood up.
"I'm not myself to-day. Not but what I'm sobeh; but I--oh, I'm in
trouble! But what's that to you?" He pulled his soft hat picturesquely
over his eyes, and starting out, discovered March and Fair. He looked
sadly mortified as he saluted them, but quickly lighted up again and
called March aside.

"John, do you know what Charlie Champion's been doin'? He's been tryin'
to get up a sort o' syndicate to buy Rosemont and make you its pres--O
now, now, ca'm yo'self, he's give it up; we all wish it, but you know,
John, how ow young men always ah; dead broke, you know. An' besides,
anyhow, Garnet may ruin Rosemont, but, as Jeff-Jack says, he'll neveh
sell it. It's his tail-holt. Eh--eh--one moment, John, I want to tell
you anotheh thing. You've always been sich a good friend--John, I've
p'posed to Miss Mahtha-r again, an' she's rejected me, as usual. I knew
you'd be glad to hear it." He smiled through his starting tears. "But
she cried, John, she did!--said she'd neveh ma' anybody else!"

"Ah, Shot, you're making a pretty bad flummux of it!"

"Yes, John, I know I am--p'posin' by da-aylight! It don't work! But, you
know, when I wait until evenin' I ain't in any condition. Still, I'll
neveh p'pose to her by da-aylight again! I don't believe Eve would 'a'
ma'd Adam if he'd p'posed by da-aylight."

The kind Captain passed out. He spent the night in his room with our
friend, the commercial traveler, who, at one in the morning, was saying
to him for the tenth time,

"I came isstantly! For whareverss Garness's troubl'ss my trouble! I
can't tell you why; thass my secret; I say thass my secret! Fill up
again; this shocksh too much for me! Capm--want to ask you one thing:
_Muss_ I be carried to the skies on flow'ry bedge of ease while Garnet
_fighss_ to win