d with
the black brow which told her of disappointment, she smiled at him
tranquilly.

The smile irritated him.

"I wish you'd stop grinning."

Too happy to be perturbed, she replied in mock severity:

"If I cry, you resent it; if I smile, you stop me. Really, you know,
you're rather difficult."

"You'd be difficult, too, if you had to try to do business with a bunch
of tightwads. We've nothing to grin about, let me tell you."

"Haven't we?" archly.

He eyed her radiant face and ejaculated:

"Lord, but you look simple! What ails you?"

"Nothing fatal," she laughed gaily. "But tell me, Jap, what went wrong
this morning?"

The question recalled him to his grievances.

"You know that scheme I told you about last night?"

"Which one?" Mrs. Toomey searched her memory.

"Don't you ever listen when I talk to you?"

"I was so sleepy," apologetically.

"That one to 'glom' all the land between Willow Creek and the mountain."

"Oh, yes," vaguely. "Couldn't you interest anybody?"

"How can you interest clods who have no imagination?"

"What did they say about it?"

"Scales told me to go out and hold my head under the spout and he'd pump
on it. If ever I get a dollar ahead to pay my fine, I'm going to work
that son-of-a-gun over."

Mrs. Toomey sobered. The flippancy of the grocer was additional evidence
that her husband was considered a light-weight, even in Prouty. It hurt
her inexpressibly. The desire to work her surprise to a dramatic climax
suddenly left her. She said quietly:

"Our worries are over for the present, Jap." She walked to the bureau
and took out the money. "There is five hundred dollars."

He stared at it, at her, and back again incredulously.

"Is this a joke?" finally.

She shook her head.

"Kate Prentice."

He shouted at her.

"What? You borrowed from her?"

"She promised it to me before the--the--"

"You can't keep it."

"But, Jap--"

"I say you can't keep it."

"But, Jap--" she whimpered.

"Do you think I want to be under obligations to that--"

She put her hand over his mouth.

"You shan't say it! She's been generous. She kept her promise when
neither you nor I would have done it, and I'm going to stand by her."

"You'll do nothing of the kind!" savagely.

"Now listen, Jap," she went on pleadingly. "We need this so
terribly--we're in no position to consider our feelings--we can pay it
back the minute you get into something. I don't understand why you feel
so