p the Latin," Jerry urged. "Say, 'I, Geraldine Darby Swaim,
being of sound mind and in full possession of all my faculties, and of
nothing else worth mentioning, being about to pass into the final estate
and existence of an old-maid school-teacher, a high-school teacher of
mathematics'--Please set that down."

"So you are going to teach. I congratulate you." York rose and took the
girl's hand.

"Thank you. Yes, I just 'soared' over to the hotel and signed my
contract with Mr. Ponk and the other two members in good standing, or
whatever they are." Jerry would not be serious now. "And the remainder
of my will: 'I hereby give and bequeath all my worldly goods, excepting
my gear, to wit: one claim of twelve hundred acres, containing three
cottonwood-trees, three times three acres of oak timber, and three times
three times three million billion grains of golden sand, to the
Macpherson Mortgage Company to have and to hold, free of all expense to
me, and to lease or give away to any lunatic, or lunatics, at the
company's good-will and pleasure, for a term not to exceed three million
years. All of which duly signed and sworn to.'"

As Jerry ran on, York wrote busily on the lease form before him.

"Please sign here," he said, gravely pointing to a blank space when he
had finished. "It is a three years' lease to your property herein
legally described. The Macpherson Mortgage Company will pay you
twenty-five cents per acre, per year, with the exclusive right to all
the profits accruing on the land, and to sublease the same at will."

"That is about half of what Aunt Jerry spent on my wardrobe just before
I came West," Jerry exclaimed. "But I couldn't take twenty-five cents a
year. I've seen the property, you know, and I don't want charity here
any more than I did in Philadelphia."

"Then sign up the lease. This is business. Our company is organized on a
strictly financial basis for strictly financial transactions. It is a
matter of 'value received' both ways with us."

York Macpherson never trifled in business matters, even in the smallest
details, and there was always something commanding about him. It pleased
him now to note that Jerry read every word of the document before
accepting it, and he wondered how much a girl of such inherent business
qualities in the small details of affairs would waver in steadfastness
of purpose in the larger interests of life.

"Will you let me give a receipt for the cash instead of taking