t him. Then he said faintly, "I--I am
not. But my father wanted me to be a preacher. He sent me to
Princeton, and I stuck it out nearly ten weeks. That is why they call
me Prince, short for Princeton. I am the only real college man on the
range, they say."

"The street fair must be interesting," Connie went back to the main
idea.

"Yes indeed, the crowds, the side-shows--I mean the exhibits, and the
lotteries, and--I am sure you never saw so much literary material
crowded into two blocks in your life."

"Oh, well, I don't mind. Maybe some other night we can go." Connie
was sweetly resigned.

"I should be very glad,--if you don't mind,--I haven't anything else to
do,--and I can take good care of you."

"Oh, that is just lovely. And maybe you will give me some more
stories. Isn't that fine, David? It is so kind of you, Mr. Ingram. I
am sure I shall find lots of material."

David kicked Carol warningly beneath the table. "You must go too,
Carol. You have never seen such a thing, and it will do you good. I
am not the selfish brute you try to make me. You girls go along with
Mr. Ingram and I will put Julia to bed and wait for you on the porch."

Well, of course, Mrs. Duke was very nice, and anyhow it was better to
take them both than lose them both, and that preacher had a very set
face in spite of his pallor. So Prince recovered his equanimity and
devoted himself to enjoying the tumultuous evening on the street. He
bought candy and canes and pennants until the girls sternly refused to
carry another bit of rubbish. He bought David a crimson and gold silk
handkerchief, and an Indian bracelet for Julia, and took the girls to
ride on the merry-go-round, and was beside himself with joy.

Suppose his friends of the range did draw back as he passed, and gaze
after him in awe and envy. Suppose the more reckless ones did snicker
like fools, nudging each other, lifting their hats with exaggerated
courtesy,--he should worry. He had lived on the range for fourteen
years and had never had such a chance before. Now he had it, he would
hang on to it if it cost him every sheep he had on the mountains.
Wasn't Connie the smartest girl you ever saw, always saying funny,
bright things, and--the way she stepped along like a goddess, and the
way she smiled! Prince Ingram had forgotten that girls grew like that.

They returned to the hotel early and found David waiting on the porch
as he had promised. He was plai