speak with me on
the train?"

"Honestly, I don't remember, dear--sister. He's the most muddled man,
though, in New York, I'll bet a dollar. And now that I think of it, it
wasn't absolutely necessary; but when he guyed me about a runaway
match, it paralyzed me, and I had to do something, so I swore that I had
never heard of such a person as Ridgeway."

Grace was too astounded to speak.

"Then he told me of meeting you," he continued, "and that settled it.
Poor old Woods! What a trump you were, Grace!"

"You wouldn't have thought so if you could have seen me when I first
boarded the train. My! I was blue! Fortunately, I did not see him until
we were nearly here. Hugh Ridgeway--Ridge, I mean--do you know what I
did? It will make you very angry!" she said as they waited for a cab.

"Nothing could make me angry." This was said ten seconds later, when
they were inside the cab and a nervous, smiling young woman at his side
was squeezing his arm expressively. "Driver!" he called out, "go
uptown--anywhere--through the park until I tell you to stop!" and
turning to her, added: "We'll have a bit of dinner somewhere and then go
aboard. Now, what did you do?"

"Well," she went on, "I actually tossed up a quarter in the compartment
to see whether I should go on or turn back."

"You did? Really? Who won?"

"I did," she answered naively.

"No; I did. I am beginning to feel too lucky to be awake. And would you
have turned back if you had lost? Would you have left me here with all
this anticipation to dispose of?" he cried.

"If it came tails, I was to turn back. It came tails."

"What! And you came anyhow?"

"Well, you see, after the first flip I concluded to make it two out of
three trials. So I flipped again, Hugh, and it came tails. Then I made
it three out of five. That was only fair, wasn't it?"

"Certainly. Seven out of thirteen or eleven out of twenty, just so you
won."

"I tossed that coin seventeen times, and the final count was nine for
New York and eight for Chicago. The train had started, so I didn't flip
again. Wasn't it a narrow majority, dear?"

"If it were not for appearing ridiculous, I would kiss you seventeen
times right here. Oh, how about your baggage--luggage, I mean?"
he cried.

"The transfer man will take them to the dock. I have ten big ones--new
steamer trunks. You'll never know how much trouble I had in getting them
packed and out of the house."

"Ten! Great Scott! I have but two!"

"D