obliged. I haven't been able to look Soapy in the face for a month. Did
he recognize it?"

"I think he did. He kissed it."

"Landover tried to borrow my lead pencil yesterday," remarked Flattner.
"Finally offered to put up his letter of credit as security. I gave him
the laugh. That lead pencil is worth more than all the letters of credit
lumped together. He wanted to write a note. So I agreed to let him
use it if he wouldn't take it out of my sight and on condition that he
didn't write more than five or six line's. But when he made as if he was
going to sharpen it, I threatened him with an ax. Can you beat that for
wastefulness? These low-down rich don't know the meaning of frugality.
Why, if I hadn't stopped him he might have whittled off five thousand
dollars' worth of lead, just like that. I also had to caution him about
bearing down too hard while he was writing."

"What was he wanting to write a note for?" demanded Malone. "Has he lost
his voice?"

"It was a note of apology. He says he never fails to write a note of
apology when he's done something he's ashamed of, or words to that
effect. Lifelong practice, he says."

"Who was he apologizin' to?"

"That little nurse, Miss Lake,--the one with the coral earrings. You
know, Mike. I saw you carrying a bucket of water for her yesterday."

"Her name isn't Lake," said Malone. "It's Hardwickley. And if you had
your eyes open, you'd have seen me carrying one for her every day, so
you would, my lad."

"The damned villain!" exploded Flattner. "He told me her name was
Lake,--word with only four letters,--and she turns out to have--let's
see,--eleven! I call that pretty shifty work, I do. You can't trust
these wizards of Wall Street. They'll do you every crack, if you don't
keep your eye peeled. Hornswoggled me out of seven letters."

"You've got to watch 'em," mused Fitts. "What was he apologizing to her
for?"

"Something to do with his washing. I don't just remember what it was,
but I think she didn't iron and fold his handkerchiefs properly,
or maybe it was his collars. In any case, he panned her for it, and
afterwards repented. Told me in so many words that he felt like a
blooming cad about it, and couldn't rest till he had apologized."

Fitts took several puffs at his pipe and then remarked: "That man has
the biggest wash of anybody in this camp. I don't see any real reason
why he should change collars three times a day while he's hauling logs
down from t