means Hell. Capital H. An' to-night the ol'
man has got the door locked an' he's two games behind an' he's sore as
a hoot-owl an' he says that anybody as breaks in on his play is-- No,
I can't say it; not in the presence of a lady. There's times when the
ol' man is so awful vi'lent he's purty near vile about it. Get me?"

"Guy Little, you just stand aside!" Terry's eyes blazed into his as
she threw out a hand to thrust his back. "I came for the doctor and
I'm going to get him."

Guy Little merely shook his head.

"You don't know the ol' man," he said quietly. "An' I do. I'm the
only man, woman or child livin' as does know him. You stan' aside."

He stepped quickly by her and rapped at the door. When only silence
greeted him he rapped again. Now suddenly, explosively, came Old Man
Packard's voice, fairly quivering with rage as the old man shouted:

"If that's you, Guy Little, I'll beat your head off'n your fool body!
Get out an' go away an' go fast!"

"It's important, your majesty," returned Guy Little's voice
imperturbably.

He rubbed one slippered toe against his calf and winked at Terry,
looking vastly innocent and boyish.

"I'm pullin' for you," he whispered. "There's jus' one way to do it."
Aloud he repeated. "It's important, your majesty. An' there's a lady
here."

"Lady?" shouted the old man, his voice fairly breaking with the emotion
that went into it. "Lady? In my house? What do you mean?" Then,
without waiting for an answer, "I don't care who she is or what she is
or what the two of you want. Get out! This fool pill-roller in here
thinks he can beat me playin' chess; you're in league with him to
distract me, you traitor!"

Guy Little smiled broadly and winked again.

"Ain't he got the manner of a dook?" he whispered admiringly. And to
his employer, "Say, Packard, it's the little Temple girl. Terry
Temple, you know. An'----"

Even Terry started and drew back a quick step from the closed door.
She did not know that a man's voice could pierce to one's soul like
that.

"An'," went on Guy Little hurriedly, knowing that he must rush his
words now if he got them out at all, "she's jus' drove all the way from
Red Crick--in a Boyd-Merrill, Twin Eight car--had tire trouble on the
road--an' done the trip in fifty-three minutes!"

He got it all out. A deep silence shut down after his words. A
silence during which a man's eyes might have opened and stared, during
which a man's mo