u
say, you two?"

Brooks he looks over at Edith. "Oh, Uncle Jeff!" says she, her eyes
sparklin'. "I should just love it!"

"I could ask for nothing better," says Brooks.

"Then it's settled," says Uncle Jeff, reachin' out a hand to each of
'em. "Hurrah for the long trail! We're off!"

"Me too," says I, "if that's all."

"Ah!" says Uncle Jeff. "Our young friend who's at the bottom of the
whole of this. Here, Sir! I'm going to teach you a lesson that will
make you cautious about gossiping with strange old men. Pick up that
leopard skin at your feet."

"Yes, Sir," says I, holdin' it out to him.

"No, examine it carefully," says he. "That came from a beast I shot on
the shores of Lake Tanganyika. It's the finest specimen of the kind in
my whole collection. Throw it over your arm, you young scamp, and get
along with you!"

And they're all grinnin' amiable as I backs out with my mouth open.

"What the deuce!" says Mr. Robert after lunch next day, as he gazes
first at a big package a special messenger has just left, and then at a
note which comes with it. "'The Palisades at Dusk'--five hundred
dollars?"

"Gee!" I gasps. "Did he sting you that hard?"

"But it's receipted," says he, "with the compliments of Brooks Bladen.
What does that mean?"

"Means I'm some buyer, I guess," says I. "Souvenir of a little fam'ly
reunion I started, that's all. But you ain't the only one. Wait till
you see what I drew from Uncle Jeff."

CHAPTER VIII

GLADYS IN A DOUBLE BILL

He meant well, Mr. Robert did; but, say, between you and me, he come
blamed near spillin' the beans. Course, I could see by the squint to
his eyelids that he's about to make what passes with him for a comic
openin'.

"I hate to do it, Torchy," says he, "especially on such a fine
afternoon as this."

"Go on," says I, "throw the harpoon! Got your yachtin' cap on, ain't
you? Well, have I got to sub for you at a directors' meeting or what?"

"Worse than that," says he. "You see, Marjorie and Ferdy are having a
veranda tea this afternoon, up at their country house."

"Help!" says I. "But you ain't billin' me for any such----"

"Oh, not exactly that," says he. "They can get along very well without
me, and I shall merely 'phone out that Tubby Van Orden has asked me to
help try out his new forty-footer. But there remains little Gladys.
I'd promised to bring her out with me when I came."

"Ye-e-e-es?" says I doubtful. "She's a