The Early Bird: A Business Man's Love Story

ter the dance. She was very polite about it, too; almost too polite. Her voice over the telephone was as

ments, in fact, covering the entire day. Also, she regretted to say, upon furthe

last night's forgetfulness; by no

her father, and naturally such a trifling detail as a

ed expression on his countenance, thought, in more or less of a panic, that he must really be getting old, which was a good joke, inasmuch as nobody ever took him to be over twen

and religiously played his two hours of tennis with Miss Westlake and Miss Hastings and Tilloughby. Was he not on vac

She had one in her fingers at the very moment she was telephoning, and she was going to pop it into her mouth

the white hand and the graceful wrist, and then he could see those exquisitely curved red lips parting w

e, he stated. He had that little bird regularl

together absorbed in business," he went on; "that I

I'm not going to eat them all. I'm

light and relief. "I'll come ov

ave an engagement for this afternoon, but if you'll come over a

erspiration sprang

his morning I made an engagement with Mr. Blackrock and Mr. Cuthbe

nt frigidity which returned to her tone. A zero-like wave seemed to come right through th

at engagement off for a couple of

o think of it, I don't believe I'd have time anyhow. In fact, I'

t it was dead, and there is nothing in this world so dead as

g-room and went straight

on," he said, bending over that gentleman's chair. "I ca

ough to say, and he furthermore agreed, wit

h at variance with his usual hearty appetite that even the maid who waited on his table, a tall, gangling girl with a vinegar face and a kind heart, worried for fear he might be sick, and added unordered delicacies to his American

Mr. Stevens the matter of control of the Marsh Pulp Company. Princeman rose when Sam stepped up on the porch, and strolled away from Mr. Stevens. He nodded

led. "I've just been

d Sam. "I'll be

here," insiste

side porch; Miss Josephine most certainly was not among

sisted Stevens. "I want

ing feet Sa

ed Stevens, pushin

asked Sam, s

Princeman and Westlake abo

uired Sam

sider it a tremendous investment opportunity. The only drawback there seems to be is in the

ith our talk last night," returned Sa

d to make room for me in the company. I expect to go through with that, but I want to know about this other phase of th

trap, drawn by a pair of handsome buckskin horses, driven by Princeman and containing Miss Josephine, crunched upon the gravel driveway in front of the porch. Miss Stevens greeted

ou were here, for I saw you from the window as you cam

evens ponderously from

gh to have sent me, and he confesses that he has never tasted maraschino choc

on running me up two flights of stairs on an errand o

ctionate banter, then, with a wave of her han

e approached Mr. Stevens he pulled himself together with a jerk. After all, she was gone, and he could

nto my concern, but they are old hands at the stock incorporation game, and even before I've organized the company they a

xperience with corporate business, and it isn't the fashionable thing this year fo

is adieus. He would have liked to stay until Miss Josephine came back, so that he could make one more desperate attempt to set