had been
diverted. "Well, if the people I care for most are in trouble that I can
get them out of--"

"Oh, if you can get them out of it--"

"Well, I can."

"Then that's all right. Only the case must be rather rare. Haven't often
seen the attempt made except with one result--not that of getting people
out of trouble, but of getting oneself in. But every one to his taste,
Thor. Wouldn't stop you for the world. Only advise you not to be in a
hurry."

"There's no question of being in a hurry when things have to be done
_now_."

"All right, Thor. You know better than I. I'm one of those slowpokes who
look on the fancy for taking a hand in other people's affairs as I do on
the taste for committing suicide--there's always time. If you don't do
it to-day, you can to-morrow--which is a reason for putting it off,
ain't it?"

There was more than impatience in Thor's protest as he cried, "But how
can you put it off when there's some one--some one who's--who's
unhappy?"

"I see. Comes back to that. But I don't mind some one's being unhappy.
Don't care a tuppenny damn. Do 'em good. I've seen more people unhappy
than I could tell you about in a year; and nine out of ten were made men
and women by it who before that had been only rags."

"I'm afraid I can't accept that cheerful doctrine, Uncle Sim--"

"All right, Thor. Don't want you to. Wouldn't interfere with you any
more than with any one else. Free country. Got your own row to hoe. If
you make yourself miserable in the process, why, it'll do you as much
good as it does all the rest. Nothing like it. Wouldn't save you from it
for anything. But there's a verse of an old song that you might turn
over in your mind--old song written about two or three thousand years
ago: 'Oh, tarry thou the Lord's leisure--'"

Thor tossed his head impatiently. "Oh, pshaw!"

"But it goes on: 'And be strong.' You can be awful strong when you're
tarrying the Lord's leisure, Thor, because then you know you're not
making any damn-fool mistakes."

Thor spoke up proudly: "I'd rather _make_ mistakes--than do nothing."

"That's all right, Thor; splendid spirit. Don't disapprove of it a mite.
Go ahead. Make mistakes. It'll be live and learn. Not the least afraid.
I've often noticed that when young fellows of your sort prefer their own
haste to the Lord's leisure there's a Lord's haste that hurries on
before 'em, so as to be all ready to meet 'em when they come a cropper
in the ditch."

Thor t