office looking for a job and never so much as
suspect who Mr. Coulter was. There must have been signs up with the
firm's name on them."

"I suppose there were," Carl answered. "I don't know about that. You
see, I was too rattled and wrought up to notice much of anything.
Besides, I was some scared. It was such a swell joint and that bell-boy
(or whatever you call him) was so lofty and elegant that it froze the
blood in my veins. More than that I was crazy to get a position and was
so darned afraid they wouldn't take me that I wasn't thinking of
anything else."

"You're a bully little pal, Carl," Hal remarked, placing an
affectionate hand on the younger boy's shoulder.

"Pooh! I did no more than you'd have done for me if I'd been in a
hole," replied Carl modestly. "You'd move heaven and earth to help us
if we needed you."

"You've said it, youngster!"

"Then what is there so remarkable in my trying to do the same for you
and Louise?"

"It was splendid of you, Carlie," whispered Louise.

"Oh, I didn't do much," was the gruff retort. "As it happened, I didn't
really do anything. But I wanted to--you can bank on that."

"Evidently you convinced Mr. Coulter of the sincerity of your good
intentions," grinned Hal.

"Mr. Coulter! Gee! Every time I think of him I have to laugh. Picture
my having the nerve to go reforming his mill for him and complaining of
his employees! And fancy me parading into his private office asking him
for work! Had I known what I was doing I should have been petrified
with fear." Smothered laughter convulsed the boys frame. "Well, as Ma
says, ignorance is bliss and fools rush in where angels fear to tread."

"I guess Mr. Coulter sized up the situation all right," mused Hal.

"Oh, he knew; he understood the whole thing. He told me so to-day,"
Carl responded quickly. "He's live wire enough not to let a joke slip
past him. He had his fun out of the affair and don't you think he
didn't. What's more, he didn't mean ever to let me find out what a boob
I'd been. He was just going to keep the secret to himself. Then this
wedding party came along and he happened to think we might like to
come. So he took a chance and sent the bid."

"And that explains why the invitation came to you," reflected Mrs.
McGregor.

"That's it, Ma. You have your little son Carlie to thank for your card
to the spree," the lad responded impishly. "I'll be getting you into
high society some day if you're good."

"If yo