I'll only charge you five bucks for the job on account of you and me having the same principles. You say he don't know nothin' about machines? Well, the carburetor ought to be good for at least twenty minutes' delay; and the universal joint out of whack for a half an hour, anyhow, properly managed. Just steer the guy into my machine and you can rest easy."

CHAPTER VI

HIS DECISION

The bell-boy at the Chamberlin had spent the last twenty minutes straining his young ears to catch the conversation in 405. This bellboy was a novel-reading youth. He had expected his hotel pathway to be sown thickly with situations of tragedy and romance. When the transoms and the doors ajar brought him nothing more thrilling than the most ordinary conjugal disputes, and when his one glance of ghastliness involved in the silent man behind the door de

veloped into nothing worse than the drunken stupor of a traveling salesman, his disappointment began to become cynical. But when to-day a pale-faced young soldier, very stern and breathless, had demanded to be taken to Mrs. Hardy's room and had asked him in plain agitation of mind how was Mrs. Hardy, hope revived. He answered carelessly, "She was all right ten minutes ago when I brung her some ice-water," and noticed with pleasure that his answer seemed in some obscure way to excite the soldier. Therefore he made occasion to listen at the door. There was no question in his mind

that there was emotion of some kind exploding in the room. He caught a queer strangled cry of "Mother" which he couldn't understand. Then came a rapid interchange of question and answer, and sobbing entreaty. The voices were provokingly low keyed; but he was sure that he heard the woman say, "But I was hurt, I was terribly hurt," and once the boy said, "No, mother, I can't promise, I'd be a traitor if I did." Then there was something about grandfather which the bell-boy could not understand, and then the door opened and quite distinctly he heard the soldier say, "No, mother,

I must go right away. You see the Captain brought me out here himself; he was going for the General to fetch him and some others in, and I promised I'd come right back."

The mother said something so low that the bell-boy couldn't catch it, but he heard the soldier reply, "Very well, I'll take your man then; what's his name, Collins?" And there was a sound of sobbing farewell mingled with remonstrance.

"Kissin' him and cryin'," summarized the bell-boy. Immediately the soldier strode out into the hall, paler and sterner looking than be