den. Others
heard, too. What I ought to do is go over there and stripe his old
Yankee hide with a horsewhip. But you tell him for me that that would be
taking too much stock in anything that a politician in your
politics-ridden States could say. That's all. You've got it, blunt and
straight. And, by-the-way, I understand he's making a politician out of
you, too, to-day? I'm taking this thing just in time!"

The young man and the girl looked at each other. It was a pitiful,
appealing glance that they exchanged. Shame surged in both of them. In
that gaze, also, was mutual apology for the ruthless ones who had dealt
such insult that day in their hearing; there was hopelessness that any
words from them to each other, just then, could help the situation. And
in that gaze, too, there was proud denial, from one to the other, that
anything except friendship, the true, honest comradeship of youth, had
drawn them together.

Kavanagh eyed them with grim relish. The thought that he was harrying
one of the Thorntons overbore any consideration he felt for his
daughter, even if he stopped to think that her affection was anything
except the silliness of childhood.

"Politics seems to be a good side-line for the Thornton family,"
Kavanagh remarked, maliciously. "If you can start where your grandfather
is leaving off, you ought to be something big over in your country
before you die!"

"I'm not interested in politics, Mr. Kavanagh, nor in my grandfather's
quarrels with you."

"I am, though! Interested enough to advise you to keep to your own side
of that river!"

"I'll admit that you have the right to advise your daughter about the
friends she makes. But I don't grant you the privilege of insulting me
before her face and eyes by putting wrong constructions on our
friendship."

"Meaning that you're going to keep up this dilly-dally business whether
I allow you to or not?"

It was a cruel question at that moment. The girl was looking at him with
her heart in her eyes. He had understood her pledge of loyalty given a
moment before. Youth is not philosophic. She would misunderstand
anything except loyalty in return.

"Going to court my daughter, are you, according to the Thornton style of
grabbing anything in sight that they want?"

"Say, look here, Mr. Kavanagh," declared the young man, hotly, "I'm not
going to answer any such questions. But I'm going to tell you something,
and I'm going to tell it to you straight and right her