d any card. Mr.
John Bennington, sir.

"John Bennington!" Warrington sprang from his chair, his face joyous.
"Old John here to-night! Finest chap on earth, Kate; my roommate at
college, and the only chap in my town who was my friend when I was a
nobody. Old John ..."

"Richard, you must hide me quickly. I mustn't be seen here. There is
no way of passing him the hall."

"Good Lord!" He did not notice her pallor. "The butler's pantry," he
said hastily.

She slipped out of sight noiselessly. Presently she heard sounds,
men's voices, a hearty greeting and for a moment the world seemed
gliding from under her feet. Her gloves! She had forgotten her gloves!

Chapter III

Men have a way of greeting which is all their own. It is unlike the
kiss and flutter of women, which may signify frankness or deceit,
generosity or selfishness, some favor to gain, some treachery to
forestall. Men's likes and dislikes are generally visible. The dog
wags his tail, or he warns you away with a growl; there is no
mistaking his attitude. On the other hand, the cat purrs and rubs
against your leg, and when you reach down to smooth her, as likely as
not she gives you a dig for your pains. True, there are always
exceptions to this rule.

With their hands on each other's shoulders, at arm's length they
stood, a likely pair to look at, smiling frankly and joyfully into
each other's eyes. When it is without self-interest, friendship
between man and man is a fine and noble thing. It is known best in the
stress of storms, in the hour of sorrow and adversity. Friendship, to
be perfect, must be without any sense of obligation; for obligation
implies that one or the other is in debt, and the debtor is always
wondering when he will have to pay. Between these two men only the
slightest favors had been exchanged. They had grown up together, one
the son of a rich steel-mill owner, the other the son of a poor
farmer. The one had entered college to the sounding of golden cymbals,
the other had marched in with nothing but courage in his pocket. It is
impossible to describe how these great friendships come about;
generally they begin with some insignificant trifle, soon forgotten.
Warrington had licked Bennington in the boyhood days; why, I doubt
that the Recording Angel himself remembers. So the friendship began
with secret admiration on one side and good-natured toleration on the
other. One day Warrington broke a colt for Bennington, and later
Be