senior partner, "and I 'm mighty glad of it. I
was always ashamed of him--the way he dressed."

CHAPTER VII

SKINNER AND THE "GOLD BUGS"

A new and unforseen, but perfectly logical, development from the
purchase of the new business suit awaited Skinner a few days later. It
came about in this way. He was making his customary heel-and-toe
sprint for the depot when Stephen Colby came bowling along in his 60
H.P. That gentleman nodded to Skinner, pulled up, and took him in.

"You're late," he said genially.

"I am, by Jove, and thank you for the lift," said Skinner.

"I've been wanting to tell you a story," said Colby. "I had it on my
list the other night, but somehow I did n't get to it. You know, you
can't always follow the list you make out. Stories have got to be
apropos of something somebody else says, so my list always gets mixed
up and I miss telling some of the best ones."

It was one of the multi-millionaire's pleasures to regale his friends
with anecdotal matter of his own experience. But before he had
finished this particular story, they had reached the depot. The train
had already pulled in and Colby, still talking, led the way into the
Pullman. Skinner hesitated on the threshold of that unaccustomed
domain, but he felt that the magnate expected him to go in with him,
and he followed.

In the "cage man" Colby found a fresh audience. All the way into town
he talked about his past efforts, from the time he slept under the
grocery-store counter until he reached the Presidency of the Steel
Company, and Skinner, fascinated and sympathetic, "listened" his way
into the magnate's esteem.

Quite a number of the other "gold bugs"--as Skinner had dubbed
them--whom he had seen at the Crawford affair were in the Pullman.
They nodded to Skinner in a cordial way, which put him at once at his
ease, and he soon felt quite as much at home in the Pullman as he had
in the smoker.

That night he told Honey all about it.

"It only costs twenty-five cents extra," he said apologetically.

"That's nothing. I'm glad you did it, Dearie. You must do it every
day."

"Very well," said Skinner.

A few days later Skinner said to Honey, as he stretched his long legs
under the table and sipped his second demi-tasse, "Well, Honey, I've
joined the Pullman Club for keeps. It only costs a dollar and a half a
week."

"It's well worth the money," said Honey.

Skinner regarded his beautiful little wife through