house, passed me on the porch with only a grunt, and jumped into his
automobile. You must have done something to anger him."

"I hope that I did!" she retorted with spirit. "I refused to marry
him."

"You did!" he returned in surprise. "Why, I thought it was all cut and
dried between you."

"It was until you blundered into us and spoiled everything," she
charged. "But I'm glad you did. You let me know that Sam Turner
wanted to marry me because you had bought shares enough in his company
to give him the advantage. I'm ashamed of you and ashamed of Sam--of
Mr. Turner--and ashamed of myself. Why, you make a bargain-counter
remnant of me! I never, _never_ was so humiliated!"

"Poor child!" her father blandly sympathized. "Also, poor Sam. By the
way, though, he doesn't need you to secure control of his company. Dan
Westlake, as I told you, has bought enough stock to do the work, and
Miss Westlake would marry him in a minute. If Sam wants control of his
company, he only has to go to her and say the word."

"Father!" exclaimed his daughter with stern indignation. "I don't see
how you can even suggest that!"

"Suggest what? Now, what have I said?"

"That Sam--that Mr. Turner would even dream of marrying that Westlake
girl, just in order to get the better of a business transaction," and
very much to Theophilus Stevens' surprise and consternation and dismay,
she suddenly crumpled up in a heap in her chair and burst out crying.

"Well, I'll be busted!" her father muttered into his beard.

CHAPTER XVII

SHE CALLS HIM SAM!

Miss Josephine, finding all ordinary occupations stale, unprofitable
and wearisome on the following morning, and finding herself, moreover,
possessed of a restless spirit which urged her to do something or other
and yet recoiled at each suggestion she made it, started out quite
aimlessly to walk by herself. She walked in the direction of Meadow
Brook. The paths in that direction were so much prettier.

Sam Turner, finding all other occupations stale, unprofitable and
wearisome, at the same moment started out to walk by himself, going in
the direction of Hollis Creek because that was the exact direction in
which he wanted to go. As he walked much more rapidly than Miss
Stevens, he arrived midway of the distance before she did, but at the
valley where the unnamed stream came rippling down he paused.

He had looked often at this little hollow as he had passed it, and
every tim