f mine."

The two men stood in silence after this until Roger said, brokenly,
"Thank you, Ernest, you've made a new man of me."

"And now," said Ernest, briskly, "being considerably worse in debt than
ever, the question before the house is whom do we do next?"

"I don't know! I swear I don't," Roger sighed, as he took one of
Ernest's cigarettes.

Ernest gave a scornful laugh. "He doesn't know! the poor little woolly
lamb! He doesn't know! with a plant such as is now established in the
Prebles' backyard! Why, man, I could sell that to an Egyptian mummy."

Roger laughed and at the sound Dick called in through the open door,

"For the love of heaven, put us out of our misery! What's happened?
We've been sweating blood!"

Both men hurried out to the porch. Seated in a solemn row on the steps
were Charley, Dick and Elsa.

Ernest looked at Roger pleadingly. "You tell them, Rog. I want to attend
to something in the tent."

Roger sat down beside Charley and told the story. When it was finished,
Dick said, "Are you sure he's not German, Roger?"

"Certainly he's not any longer!" exclaimed Elsa. "The strongest thing in
Ernest's life is his love for Roger. He'll never give any woman what
he's given Roger. That love has saved Ernest and will keep him safe. Oh,
I'm so thankful! So thankful!"

"Don't cry, Elsa! I've had all the emotion I can stand in one day,"
cried Roger.

"I wouldn't waste a tear on either of you," returned Elsa, stoutly as
she wiped her eyes. "Come along, Dicky belovedest. You're the only one
who treats me with respect. I'm going to cook you the most perfect
biscuits ever invented for supper."

Ernest came into supper that night and after the first moment of
embarrassment, the meal resolved itself into a frank discussion of ways
and means, quite as if nothing had happened. Roger flatly refused to
take Dick's possible loan.

"You keep that for a rainy day fall back," he said. "You and Elsa aren't
going to have smooth sledding for a long time yet."

"How about you and Charley?" returned Dick. "Don't forget you've got a
woman to provide for now!"

"Thanks for reminding me," smiled Roger. "She's an extravagant minx too
and accustomed to luxury."

"Well, something will turn up, see if it doesn't," said Ernest. "In the
meantime, there's considerable work to be done before Roger can claim
that he's irrigating twenty-five acres of alfalfa. I'll guarantee that
something will turn up before he's able to