The Early Bird: A Business Man's Love Story

ER IS AL

"I'll finish up this deal right away. There is no use in my holding for a

ad been out all morning to help Sam Turner buy up trees to sell to

elapsing into serious consideration of the affair, "your father will be in luck to buy those trees at all, even at the te

ve; and the opportunity was entirely accidental, one which would not have occurred if

Sam retorted. "You had me

that?" sh

their way to see your father. It would have been very natural for one of them to mention our errand. Your father might hav

ndignant that Sam turned to her in astonishment. "My father woul

you suppose your father became rich in the lumber trade if i

phine most icily; "but after he knew that you had started out actually to purchase a tract of

me is Theophilus

es

explain. Miss Stevens had been deeply wounded by the assault upon her father's

atures, was over, although she carefully gathered up her bright-berried branches, which were not half

of the porch to meet them. He pa

is aggressive beard, "I hear you got it, confoun

g's quotations," replied Sam. "P

om my partner. Princeman was with me when the telegram came, and he told me then that you had

xclaimed Mi

the matt

of Mr. Turner in buying this lumber, knowing

nly," admitt

ow that I was w

cert

or the bouquet of branches or even the geranium slips which she had received under false pretenses, she hurried aw

formed her in a jointly signed note sent up to her by a boy, and hastily removing the dust of the road she ran down to join them. As she went across t

er play tennis mu

r. She's better at it than any of these girls, and she really doesn't care to play ex

aid Sam th

ayer yourself," his host res

ng away from the business grind is a great thing. You don't know how I enjoy the fresh air and t

vens, for Sam was getting up. "You'l

ome word from my kid brother. I have wired him to send some

. Stevens. "That's a new

onfidently. "It is our scheme to meet th

the side of Mr. Stevens, who immediately began stroking his aggressive beard. Fi

azed after Sam's broad shoulders admiringl

mateurs of Hollis Creek Inn had stopped their own sets to watch. In the pause of changing sides Miss Josephine saw him and waved her hand and wa

d arrive on the following morning. His next step was to hunt Miss Westlake. That plump young person forgot her pique of the mor

ach me tennis," h

diffidence, "because I'm not a good enough player myself; but I

!" sa

and was in deadly seriousness about everything. Never did a man work so hard at anything as Sam Turner worked at tennis. He had a keen eye and a dextrous wrist, and he kept the game up to top-notch speed. Of course he made blunders and became confused in his count and o

he was a trifle dubious. Already he perceived that t

ty nice of you to say so, Til

berly advised him. "It always stus-stus-starts out

ch she did very prettily, she thought, considering her one hundred and sixty-three pounds. They took him through a detour of shady paths which occupied a full hour to traverse, but this particular game did not wind up in "tw

ey never knew that he was bored. Having entered into the game he played it with spirit

auty sleep, and Sam found McComas

ase-ball?" inq

to help out my kid brother

rivalry between Meadow Brook and Hollis Creek is intense this year. They've captured nearly all the

omised Sam. "Got a base-ball

alf hour, and when they had enough of it, McC

ng players, but we need them. Hollis always pitches for Hollis Creek, and

parate business, it seemed, and one which required much preparation. Well, he was in for the entire circus, but he realized that he was a little late i

s that in him lay, Josephine Stevens, resisting the import

right for you, knowing Mr. Turner to be after that walnu

t it, so that he could sell it to me at as big a gain as possible. I paid him one thousand dollars profit for his contract. I had strugg

ice of lumber, and he hurried down there to a man who didn't know about that, and bought it. If Mr. Giffor

. "He would have had to pay nearly

right of Mr. Tur

eping alive and knowing things that other people will find out to-morrow. Sam Turner is the shrewdest and the live

ntrated on business? He hasn't a thought in his mind for anything else. For instance, this morning he came over to take me an automobile ride around Ba

money. But I don't see your point of criticism. It seems to me that he's a mighty presentable and

in a young man, isn't it," she persisted, betraying an unusually anxious

e with apparent aimlessness, spied them and brought to Miss Josephine a big box. She opened it and an exclamation of p

he buried her

t the white card which peeped forth from amidst

him," commented her father