ll, smoothing his wife's hand, and looking out
through the open door at the dry grass of the yard, browner, dustier
than ever, and at the portulaca waving on top of the pyramid of stones.
He could hear Jim's whistle as he moved about the yard; some one at the
back door was talking to Mary in a hushed, eager undertone; over on her
porch Dolly was singing happily, sinking her voice to a mere murmur now
and then at a low remonstrance from within the house. It all made a sort
of accompaniment to Gertrude's happy talk.

Suddenly she stopped, and leaned her cheek against his, with a little
sigh. "Isn't it a nice world, dear?" she whispered.

He turned so that he could look into her eyes, and said, with a little
tremble in his voice:

"It's a beautiful world!"

[Illustration: "HE CAME TOWARD HER WITH THE PITCHER"]

THE WAYFARERS

BY

MARY STEWART CUTTING

AUTHOR OF "LITTLE STORIES OF COURTSHIP," "LITTLE STORIES OF MARRIED
LIFE," ETC.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY ALICE BARBER STEPHENS

XIX

"Slipped through your fingers like that! Like a--" Leverich's words were
not fit for print. He had been away for a couple of days, and now sat
tilted back in his office chair, a heavy, leather-covered thing not
meant for tilting, his face puffed with anger, his mouth snarling--a
wild beast balked of his prey. His eyes, ferociously insolent, dwelt on
Justin, who, fine and keen and smiling a little, sat opposite him. Brute
anger never had any effect on Justin but to give him a contemptuous,
chill self-possession.

"You're sure the agreement's made?"

"Cater's been sending new consignments as fast as they could go for the
past three days; he's loaded up with machines."

Leverich swore again. "Confounded fools, not to have made terms with
Hardanger first! If we'd only known! If there was only some way to put a
spoke in the wheel, even yet!"

"Oh, I've got the spoke, easily enough," said Justin indifferently. "The
only trouble is, I can't use it."

"Got a spoke! Why in heaven didn't you say that before?" Leverich came
down on the front legs of his chair with a force that sent it rolling
ahead on its casters. "What are you sitting here for? What do you mean
by telling me that you can't use it?"

"Just what I say. But it's not worth talking about."

"See here, Alexander, could you get our machine in now instead of his?"

"I suppose I might."

"And you're not going to do it?"

"I can't, I tell you, Leverich. The informati