ecause you _have_--without one day's
vacation since last August--"

"But I've told you so often, dear, I'm _glad_ to do it if it helps
you."

"It helped a lot. If you hadn't done it in the first place, I wouldn't
have had the cash on hand to tie up the rest of the picture houses.
But that time's gone by. I don't see why in thunder you won't hire
some servants. And at least you could pike up into the country for a
week. Why don't you?"

She hesitated, for temptation was strong, and she was really very
tired. "Maybe it's just because I want to play the game out, too. It's
only two months more."

"And after that," he said firmly, "we're going to move. I'll have
enough to buy a young bungle-house up on the hill, even if I don't get
anything from Archer. And then I'm going to make up to you for this
year--see if I don't."

"Would you sell the Orpheum?"

"Sell it!" he echoed. "I'd sell it so quick you'd think it was a fake
oil-well! I could, too. Bob Standish sends me a proposition from
somebody about once a week."

"Don't you believe there's any chance of our catching up, then?"

"Looks pretty black," he admitted. "They've got us eight down and nine
to go, but if this amendment holds off we've still got eight weeks
left to think up some wild scheme."

She squeezed his arm. "I'm not afraid of the future, no matter what
happens. We can take care of ourselves."

"Sure we can," he said, easily. "Maybe I could get a job keeping the
books for the League!... Seriously, though, I've had two or three
different propositions put up to me over at the Club ... but Lord! how
I hate to be licked! Well--let's train our gigantic intellects on the
job, and finish out the heat, anyway."

She went back to her hated housekeeping, and Henry went back to his
hated theater, and for another week they labored and pinched and
saved, each in a specific purpose, and each in desperate support of
the other's loyalty and sacrifice.

He brought her, then, the morning edition of the _Herald_, and pointed
out a telegraphic item on the first page. "They must think it's a
sure thing," he said, "and the devil of it is that I guess they're
pretty nearly right."

Anna glanced at the headlines, and gasped. "Mix elected second
vice-president of the national organization--and pledges twenty-five
thousand dollars to the national campaign fund! Oh!... I _wish_ I
could say what I think!"

"If a hearty oath would relieve you, don't mind me," said Henr