hear all about ranches and
cowboys and me. Her eyes got bright, and she said it was better than
movies, and she wished she could see my country. I told her she would,
because I was going to take her there. She didn't say anything to that.
Pretty soon Reilly comes in and tells me he wants to give us the best time
he knows how all right, but were we planning to stay to breakfast? When I
saw what time it was, I took the hint and we got right up. I asked him
what there was to pay, and he said if I tried to pay, I'd have to do it
over his dead body. We went out into the night, only 'twas morning. I
asked her what her folks would say.

"'I have no folks,' she said kind of sad-like.

"That made me feel good.

"'I am glad of that,' I told her, 'because I want you all to myself.'

"Then I thought she must be working, and I told her I was sorry to have
kept her up so late because she'd be too tired to go to work. She said she
was out of a job, but was expecting something soon.

"'I am glad of that, too,' I said.

"She looked sort of surprised, so I knew I'd been too sudden, but you see,
time was short with me. I told her I'd be in Chicago another twenty-four
hours and would she help show me around. I had never been on one of the
big boats and Reilly had told me about a fine tour to take to some Saint
place. She knew where he meant, though she had never been there. She said
folks who lived in Chicago didn't go outside much. They left the trips for
visitors. She promised to meet me at the dock in a few hours.

"She wouldn't let me go all the way home with her. She said she had
reasons, and made me leave her on a corner which she said was quite close
to where she lived. It was an awful poor part of the city, and I suppose
she didn't want me to know how humble her home was. As if I cared for
that! It was so near light I knew she would be safe, but I stood there on
guard for a few minutes after she left.

"Believe me, I was right on time at the dock, and she came soon after I
did. She had on a plain, dark suit, neat, little shoes, and a hat down
over her eyes like the girls in movies wear. I'd passed a corner on the
way to the boat where they sold flowers. There were some violets that
looked like her. I bought a big bunch and when I gave them to her, she
sort of gasped and said no one had ever bought flowers for her before. I
was glad to hear that. I asked her hadn't she ever had a fellow, and she
said she hadn't. I told her I