ully.

"Perhaps not only about that," said Barker, glad that she had not
demanded the secret.

"Well," returned Mrs. Barker as she turned away, "he might just as well
lunch here and talk about HER--and see her, too."

Meantime Stacy had dropped into his club, only a few squares distant.
His appearance created the same interest that it had produced at the
hotel, but with less reserve among his fellow members.

"Have you heard the news?" said a dozen voices. Stacy had not; he had
been dining out.

"That infernal swindle of a Divide Railroad has passed the legislature."

Stacy instantly remembered Barker's absurd belief in it and his reasons.
He smiled and said carelessly, "Are you quite sure it's a swindle?"

There was a dead silence at the coolness of the man who had been most
outspoken against it.

"But," said a voice hesitatingly, "you know it goes nowhere and to no
purpose."

"But that does not prevent it, now that it's a fact, from going anywhere
and to some purpose," said Stacy, turning away. He passed into the
reading-room quietly, but in an instant turned and quickly descended
by another staircase into the hall, hurriedly put on his overcoat, and
slipping out was a moment later re-entering the hotel. Here he hastily
summoned Barker, who came down, flushed and excited. Laying his hand on
Barker's arm in his old dominant way, he said:--

"Don't delay a single hour, but get a written agreement for that Ditch
property."

Barker smiled. "But I have. Got it this afternoon."

"Then you know?" ejaculated Stacy in surprise.

"I only know," said Barker, coloring, "that you said I could back out of
it if it wasn't signed, and that's what Kitty said, too. And I thought
it looked awfully mean for me to hold a man to that kind of a bargain.
And so--you won't be mad, old fellow, will you?--I thought I'd put
it beyond any question of my own good faith by having it in black
and white." He stopped, laughing and blushing, but still earnest and
sincere. "You don't think me a fool, do you?" he said pathetically.

Stacy smiled grimly. "I think, Barker boy, that if you go to the Branch
you'll have no difficulty in paying for the Ditch property. Good-night."

In a few moments he was back at the club again before any one knew he
had even left the building. As he again re-entered the smoking-room he
found the members still in eager discussion about the new railroad. One
was saying, "If they could get an extension, and car