and things might have
happened differently; but, as the REPUBLIC was a morning paper, the
only person in the office was the lady who scrubbed the floors and she
refused to go near the telephone. So Anita Flagg said, "I'll call him up
later," and went happily on her ride, with her heart warm with love for
all the beautiful world; but later it was too late.

To keep himself fit, Sam Ward always walked to the office. On this
particular morning Hollis Holworthy was walking uptown and they met
opposite the cathedral.

"You're the very man I want," said Hollworthy joyously--"you've got to
decide a bet."

He turned and fell into step with Sam.

"It's one I made last night with Anita Flagg. She thinks you didn't know
who she was yesterday, and I said that was ridiculous. Of course you
knew. I bet her a theatre party."

To Sam it seemed hardly fair that so soon, before his fresh wound had
even been dressed, it should be torn open by impertinent fingers; but he
had no right to take offense. How could the man, or any one else, know
what Sister Anne had meant to him?

"I'm afraid you lose," he said. He halted to give Holworthy the hint to
leave him, but Holworthy had no such intention.

"You don't say so!" exclaimed that young man. "Fancy one of you chaps
being taken in like that. I thought you were taking her in--getting up
a story for the Sunday supplement."

Sam shook his head, nodded, and again moved on; but he was not yet
to escape. "And, instead of your fooling her," exclaimed Holworthy
incredulously, "she was having fun, with you!"

With difficulty Sam smiled.

"So it would seem," he said.

"She certainly made an awfully funny story of it!" exclaimed Holworthy
admiringly. "I thought she was making it up--she must have made some of
it up. She said you asked her to take a day off in New York. That isn't
so is it?"

"Yes, that's so."

"By Jove!" cried Holworthy--"and that you invited her to see the
moving-picture shows?"

Sam, conscious of the dearly bought front row seats in his pocket,
smiled pleasantly.

"Did she say I said that--or you?" he asked

"She did."

"Well, then, I must have said it."

Holworthy roared with amusement.

"And that you invited her to feed peanuts to the monkeys at the Zoo?"

Sam avoided the little man's prying eyes.

"Yes; I said that too."

"And I thought she was making it up!" exclaimed Holworthy. "We did
laugh. You must see the fun of it yourself."

Lest Sam should