ully at Uncle Sam's necktie.

"That's just like him," remarked the nut-brown one, leaning against
the table. "He always was a fellow to gallivant around instead of
'tending to business. Will he be in soon?"

"Don't think so," said Keogh, after a fair amount of deliberation.

"I s'pose he's out at some of his tomfoolery," conjectured the
visitor, in a tone of virtuous conviction. "Johnny never would stick
to anything long enough to succeed. I wonder how he manages to run
his business here, and never be 'round to look after it."

"I'm looking after the business just now," admitted the _pro tem._
consul.

"Are you--then, say!--where's the factory?"

"What factory?" asked Keogh, with a mildly polite interest.

"Why, the factory where they use them cockleburrs. Lord knows what
they use 'em for, anyway! I've got the basements of both them ships
out there loaded with 'em. I'll give you a bargain in this lot. I've
had every man, woman and child around Dalesburg that wasn't busy
pickin' 'em for a month. I hired these ships to bring 'em over.
Everybody thought I was crazy. Now, you can have this lot for fifteen
cents a pound, delivered on land. And if you want more I guess old
Alabam' can come up to the demand. Johnny told me when he left home
that if he struck anything down here that there was any money in he'd
let me in on it. Shall I drive the ships in and hitch?"

A look of supreme, almost incredulous, delight dawned in Keogh's
ruddy countenance. He dropped his pencil. His eyes turned upon the
sunburned young man with joy in them mingled with fear lest his
ecstasy should prove a dream.

"For God's sake, tell me," said Keogh, earnestly, "are you Dink
Pawson?"

"My name is Pinkney Dawson," said the cornerer of the cockleburr
market.

Billy Keogh slid rapturously and gently from his chair to his
favourite strip of matting on the floor.

There were not many sounds in Coralio on that sultry afternoon.
Among those that were may be mentioned a noise of enraptured and
unrighteous laughter from a prostrate Irish-American, while a
sunburned young man, with a shrewd eye, looked on him with wonder and
amazement. Also the "tramp, tramp, tramp" of many well-shod feet in
the streets outside. Also the lonesome wash of the waves that beat
along the historic shores of the Spanish Main.

XIV

MASTERS OF ARTS

A two-inch stub of a blue pencil was the wand with which Keogh
performed the preliminary acts of his magic.