n't afford to look cheap in his home town,
could he?

Of course Dallas was not Buddy's home town, but it had been his point
of departure into the world, and it was the home of his bank account,
hence some pride of proprietorship was pardonable. It gave him such a
pleasing sense of importance to adopt the city as his own that he
adopted everything and everybody in it.

In spite of the fact that the train from Wichita Falls was behind time,
one morning shortly after Buddy's arrival, he was still abed when
Calvin Gray arrived at the hotel. Instead of disturbing the slumbers of
youth, Gray went directly to the detective who had telegraphed him, and
for half an hour or more the two talked.

Later, during the course of a leisurely bath and shave, the new arrival
pondered the information he had received. Here was a problem. Having
dressed himself, he strolled around to Coverly's place of business and
interviewed the jeweler.

"Sure! He has bought quite a bit of stuff in the last few days,"
Coverly told him. "He was in only yesterday and ordered a fine piece
made up. He wanted a ruby heart pierced with a diamond arrow, but I got
him off that and onto a blue Brazilian solitaire. We're mounting it in
a platinum lady's ring."

"What is the price?"

"Forty-five hundred, and the value is there."

"Have you seen the woman?"

Coverly nodded. "The boy is a good picker. I don't blame her much,
either, for I've seen a lot of worse-looking fellows than Buddy."

"Hold the ring. He may change his mind."

"I say!" Coverly was in dismay. "Are you going to spoil the best sale
I've made in two weeks?"

"Oh, I'll take it off your hands if he doesn't. Make some excuse not to
deliver it until I say the word. You don't know the woman, eh?"

"Never saw her before."

Gray knocked several times at the Governor's suite before a sleepy
response, a succession of yawns and mutterings, told him that he had
been heard. The door opened finally and the pride of the Briskow
family, his eyes all but swelled shut, his muscular figure splendidly
arrayed in futuristic silken pajamas, mumbled:

"What's eatin' you, any--?" The eyes opened wider, Buddy's face broke
into a slow smile. "Why, Mr. Gray!" He extended a palm, a bit dry and
feverish, and drew his caller inside. "Dawg_-gone!_ I'm glad to see
you."

Gray entered with a buoyant laugh and a hearty greeting; he clapped the
young giant heavily upon the back. At the blow Buddy voiced a sharp cr