."

"Never!" Jack replied, and, taking the handkerchief from his pocket and
folding it carefully, he put it back again, saying, "No, sir; I shall
keep it intact. No laundryman's hands will ever touch it."

"Pretty far gone, that's a fact," Howard rejoined, and then continued:
"I say, Jack, we'd better not talk of Miss Smith before the Colonel. It
will only rouse him up, and make him swear at normal graduates in
general, and this one in particular. You know I wrote you that he gave
the lot and built the school-house, and for years was inspector of
Crompton schools,--boss and all hands,--till a new generation came up
and shelved him. He fought hard, but had to give in to young blood and
modern ideas. He had no voice in hiring Miss Smith,--was not consulted.
His choice was a Ruby Ann Patrick, a perfect Amazon of an old maid;
weighs two hundred, I believe, and rides a wheel. You ought to see her.
But then she is rooted and grounded, and uncle does not think Miss Smith
is, though she was pretty well grounded last night when she sat on that
sand heap with her foot twisted under her. I'm not a soft head like you,
to fall in love with her at first sight; but I'm awfully sorry for her,
and I don't wish to hear the Colonel swear about her."

Jack had never seen Howard more in earnest, and his mental comment was,
"Cares more for her than I supposed. He'll bear watching. Poor little
girl! How white she was at times, and how tired her eyes looked; and
bright, too, as stars. I wonder if she really ought not to have a
doctor."

He put this question to Howard, who replied: "No, that Biggs woman is a
full team on sprained ankles. She'll get her up without a doctor, and I
don't suppose the girl has much to spend on the craft."

"Yes, but what is a little money to you or me, if she really needs a
doctor?" Jack said thoughtfully, while Howard laughed and answered,
"Don't be an idiot, and lose your heart to a schoolma'am because she
happened to have had her arm around your neck when we carried her in
that chair. I can feel it yet, and sometimes put up my hand when half
awake to see if it isn't there, but I am not going to make a fool of
myself."

As they were near home Jack did not reply, but he could have told of
times when half awake and wide awake he felt the arms and the hands and
the hot breath of the girl clinging to him in the darkness and rain, and
saw the eyes full of pain and dumb entreaty not to hurt her more than
they cou