your mother think about it?"

"I haven't told her yet. Time enough for that when I know that I really
mean it and you know that I am competent to fill the position. George,
if you keep on cross-examining me I am likely to quit before I begin. I
don't know why I am doing this, but just now I think I am going to do it
if I can. However, I am not sure. So you had better be careful."

"Humph! What did you catch up at that pond yesterday? I never saw a
day's fishing make such a difference in a man in my life. . . . All
right, Ros. All right. I won't pester you. Too glad to have you here for
that. Now about the salary."

"Before we speak of that there is one more point. How about your
directors? Dean and the rest? Do they know you offered me the position?"

"Sure thing! They put the whole affair in my hands. They'll be
satisfied. And as for Cap'n Jed--why, he was the one that suggested
hiring you in the first place."

"Captain Jed! Captain Jed Dean! HE suggested it?"

"Yup. In a way, he did. You may not know it, Ros, but you've made a good
deal of a hit with the old man. He ain't been used to having anybody
stand up to him as you have. As a general thing Denboro jumps when he
snaps the whip. You didn't, and he couldn't understand why. He is the
kind that respects anything they can't understand. Then, too, Nellie
likes you, and she's his idol, you know. Ah hum!"

He sighed and, for a moment, seemed to forget me altogether. I reminded
him by another question.

"But why should the captain think of me for this place?" I asked. "Why
should he dream that I would take it? I gave you no encouragement."

"I don't know as he did dream it. But he and I were speaking of you and
he said he'd like to do something to show you what the town thought of
your holding out against Colton. That tickled him down to the keel. I
said you'd be a first-class helper to me in this bank, that I heard you
knew something about banking--"

"George!"

"It's all right. I only mentioned that I heard rumors that you were in a
city bank somewhere at one time. He didn't ask any more and I shouldn't
have told him if he had. But the idea pleased him, I could see that.
'Why don't you try to get him?' says he. 'Maybe the days of miracles
ain't past. Perhaps even he'd condescend to work, if the right job came
his way.'"

"So that's what you call his suggesting me, do you? Humph!"

"Well, I told him about it last night, when I was up to see Nellie,
and