king up for
dad and me. Mr. Gray is a real miracle man, isn't he?" When this
question evoked no response, the girl inquired, curiously, "Tell me,
are you and he such good friends as he says you are?"

"Does he say we are good friends?"

"Um-m--well, he speaks admiringly of you, and if people admire me I
_love_ them. He thinks you are a remarkably capable person. 'A
determined fighter,' I think he called you. That should be high praise,
coming from a fellow officer. He probably outlined his plans to you."

"He did." Nelson spoke dryly.

"I assumed that he was relying on your judgment and taking your tips."

"Why? How so?"

"Because he has bought so much land alongside of yours."

"Where?"

Barbara was surprised. "I--why, I supposed you knew!" After a moment of
hesitation she said: "I think I'd better keep my mouth closed. Just the
same, he couldn't have done better than to follow your lead. That is
the first compliment I ever paid you, Henry."

"I've paid you enough. And I do believe in you, 'Bob,' but I'm not the
flattering kind. He's a great ladies' man. I wonder if he is going to
make me jealous."

"You? Jealous? Coming from Wichita's most emotionless banker, from the
cold county Croesus, that speech is almost a--a declaration." Miss
Parker laughed frankly. "Why, Henry! My haughty little nose is turning
up--I can feel it. But, alas! it proves your insincerity. If you had
faith in my judgment you'd pick up this snap."

With some hesitation the man said: "We're in deep, 'Bob.' Awfully deep!
And things haven't gone as well as they should, lately. It's temporary,
of course, but it would require an extraordinary effort at this time to
take on anything new. That's the worst of this oil game, it takes so
much money to protect your holdings. It doesn't pay to prospect land
for the benefit of your neighbor; the risks are too great. Gray has
been pretty attentive to you, hasn't he?"

"That's a part of the man; he is attentive to everybody. I have
received more candy and flowers and delightful little surprises than in
all my short, neglected life."

"I didn't know you liked candy."

"I don't. But I adore getting it. The thought counts. I don't care much
for canaries, either--I have such bad luck with them--but he sent me
the dearest thing from New York. A tiny mechanical bird with actual
feathers. And it sings! It is a really, truly yellow canary in a
beautiful gold cage, and when you press a spring it perks it