ading-room immediately after breakfast, bought a paper
of the night before and glanced hastily over the news of the day,
paying more particular attention to the market page. Prices of things
had a peculiar fascination for him. He noticed that cereals had gone
down, that there was another flurry in copper stock, and that hardwood
had gone up, and ranging down the list his eye caught a quotation for
walnut. It had made a sharp advance of ten dollars a thousand feet.

Out of the window, as he looked up, he saw Miss Westlake and Miss
Hastings crossing the lawn, and he suddenly realized that he was here
to wear himself out with rest, so he hurried in the direction the girls
had taken; but when he arrived at the tennis court he found a set
already in progress. Both Miss Westlake and Miss Hastings barely
nodded at Mr. Turner, and went right on displaying grace and dexterity
to a quite unusual degree. Decidedly Mr. Turner was being "cut," and
he wondered why. Presently he strode down to the road and looked up
over the hill in the direction he knew Hollis Creek Inn to be. He was
still pondering the probable distance when Mr. Westlake and Billy and
young Princeman came up the brook path.

"Just the chap I wanted to see, Sam," said Mr. Westlake heartily. "I'm
trying to get up a pin-hook fishing contest, for three-inch sunfish."

"Happy thought," returned Sam, laughing. "Count me in."

"It's the governor's own idea, too," said Billy with vast enthusiasm.
"Bully sport, it ought to be. Only trouble is, Princeman has some
mysterious errand or other, and can't join us."

"No; the fact is, the Stevenses were due at Hollis Creek yesterday,"
confessed Mr. Princeman in cold return to the prying Billy, "and I
think I'll stroll over and see if they've arrived."

Sam Turner surveyed Princeman with a new interest. Danger lurked in
Princeman's black eyes, fascination dwelt in his black hair,
attractiveness was in every line of his athletic figure. It was upon
the tip of Sam's tongue to say that he would join Princeman in his
walk, but he repressed that instinct immediately.

"Quite a long ways over there by the road, isn't it?" he questioned.

"Yes," admitted Princeman unsuspectingly, "it winds a good bit; but
there is a path across the hills which is not only shorter but far more
pleasant."

Sam turned to Mr. Westlake.

"It would be a shame not to let Princeman in on that pin-hook match,"
he suggested. "Why not put it o