id Wade gravely. "I only
wish--" He stopped, frowned at his pipe and went on. "The devil of it
is, Doctor, I feel so confoundedly cheeky."

"Eh?"

"I mean about asking her to marry a fellow like me."

"What's the matter with you? You're of sound body and mind, aren't
you?"

"Yes, I reckon so. But I'm such a useless sort, in a way. I've never
done anything except make some money."

"Some women would think you'd done quite enough," replied the Doctor,
dryly.

"But she's not that sort. I don't believe she cares anything about
money. I've been trying to get her to let me do the square thing with
Ed's property, but she won't listen."

"Wanted to parcel some of it out to her, eh? Well, I guess Eve wouldn't
have it."

"No, she wouldn't. She ought to, too. It should have been hers, by
rights. If it wasn't for that silly quarrel between her father and
Ed's--"

"I know, I know. But she's right, according to her lights, Mr. Herrick.
Irv Walton wouldn't have touched any of that money with a pair of
pincers. Still, I don't see as you need to have such a poor opinion of
yourself. We can't all be great generals or statesmen or financiers.
Some of us have to wear the drab. And, after all, it doesn't matter
tuppence what you are, Mr. Herrick, if you've got the qualities that
appeal to Eve. Lord love us! Where would civilization be if it was only
the famous men who found wives? I don't think any the worse of myself,
Mr. Herrick, because I've never made the world sit up and take notice.
I've had my battles and victories, and I don't despise them because
there was no waving of flags or sounding of trumpets. I've lived
clean--as clean as human flesh may, I guess,--I've been true to my
friends and honest to my enemies, and here I am, as good as the next
man, to my own thinking."

"I dare say you're right," answered Wade, "but when you love a woman,
you sort of want to have a few trophies handy to throw down at her feet,
if you see what I mean. You'd like to say, 'Look, I've done this and
that! I've conquered here and there! I am Somebody!'"

"And if she didn't love you she'd turn up her nose at your trophies, and
like as not walk off with the village fool."

"Well, but it seems to me that a woman isn't likely to love a man
unless he has something to show besides a pocketbook."

"Mr. Herrick, there's just one reason why a woman loves a man, and
that's because she loves him. You can invent all the theories you want,
and you