eu to their friends.

Jack met them at the very threshold, with warm and hearty
hand-shaking, and loud protest when he learned that they had not come
to spend the evening and that they were going away next day.

"Great Scott! you're not leaving to-morrow? And I ain't going to have
a chance to get even with Mrs. Hosmer on that last deal? By Jove, she
knows how to do it," he said, addressing Hosmer and holding Fanny
familiarly by the elbow. "Drew to the middle, sir, and hang me, if she
didn't fill. Takes a woman to do that sort o' thing; and me a laying
for her with three aces. Hello there, girls! here's Hosmer and Fanny,"
in response to which summons his wife and Mrs. Worthington issued from
the depths of the dining-room, where they had been engaged in
preparing certain refreshments for the expected guests.

"See here, Lou, we'll have to fix it up some way to go and see them
off to-morrow. If you'd manage to lay over till Thursday I could join
you as far as Little Rock. But no, that's a fact," he added
reflectively, "I've got to be in Cincinnati on Thursday."

They had all entered the parlor, and Mrs. Worthington suggested that
Hosmer go up and make a visit to her husband, whom he would find up
there "poring over those everlasting books."

"I don't know what's got into Mr. Worthington lately," she said, "he's
getting that religious. If it ain't the Bible he's poring over, well
it's something or other just as bad."

The brightly burning light guided Hosmer to the kitchen, where he
found Lorenzo Worthington seated beside his student lamp at the table,
which was covered with a neat red cloth. On the gas-stove was spread a
similar cloth and the floor was covered with a shining oil-cloth.

Mr. Worthington was startled, having already forgotten that his wife
had told him of Hosmer's return to St. Louis.

"Why, Mr. Hosmer, is this you? come, come into the parlor, this is no
place," shaking Hosmer's hand and motioning towards the parlor.

"No, it's very nice and cozy here, and I have only a moment to stay,"
said Hosmer, seating himself beside the table on which the other had
laid his book, with his spectacles between the pages to mark his
place. Mr. Worthington then did a little hemming and hawing
preparatory to saying something fitting the occasion; not wishing to
be hasty in offering the old established form of congratulation, in a
case whose peculiarity afforded him no precedential guide. Hosmer came
to his relief b