alm
Beach, and then by accident.

He had stopped at my father's house to leave the rod and tackle-box
which I had loaned him, and I, happening to be in the hall, opened the
door myself, and went out to speak with him.

"Have a good time?" I asked.

The man looked so sick that I pitied him.

"Mechanically, yes. I went through the motions," he said. "That's a
beautiful rod. It was the most useful thing I had along. Going to the
club? I'll drive you."

"Will you? Thanks. I'll just put these things in the hall."

We drove slowly toward the club.

"Glad to be back?"

"Very. I couldn't have stayed away from Lucy and the kids much longer,
even if I'd been held."

He laughed gently.

"Lucy," he said, "must have thought that I wasn't ever coming back.
She's been trying to put the house in order."

"How do you mean?"

"Oh, finding out how much money's owed, and making a beginning of tying
up loose ends."

"Kids all right? I haven't set eyes on 'em for three or four days."

"Yes, the kids are fine," and he added, after a pause, "and Lucy's fine
too."

There were several men in the club and they made John heartily welcome,
and told him how much better he looked than when he went away. As a
matter of fact he looked much worse.

We all had tea together and asked questions about Palm Beach, and if he
had seen so and so, and if he'd brought any money away from the
gambling place, and what was new, and amusing, etc.

"Do you know," he said all of a sudden, "there was one very interesting
thing that happened. Anybody mind if I talk shop?"

Nobody did; so he went on: "I had a telegram from a Baron Schroeder
asking if it would be convenient for me to see him. He came all the
way down to Palm Beach, talked to me all the time between trains, and
flew away north again. He wanted to know how many rifle cartridges I
could make in a year, at a price, a very round price, how many in five
years. He wanted to know if I could convert any of my plant into a
manufactory for shrapnel, and so on. What interested me is that he
should take all that trouble over a small concern like mine. It looks
as if someone saw a time when there would be a great dearth of
ammunition. Two days ago Schroeder had gone away. I was braced, while
in swimming, by a Russian gentleman. He apologized and plied me with
the same sort of questions; I gave him the same sort of offhand answers
that I had given Schroeder, and then I asked hi