I thought of the four men that had stood by me most in my time; nowone was a miser and smuggler, and got himself hung; and one was athief, and died of a split wishbone, on what he called "a throne;"and one was a fighter and gambler and poet, and he had a weighty fist,and he turned remorseful into a Burmese monk; and one was SteveyTodd. And Madge Pemberton thought at one time I sometimes was all right, butshe was wrong there. And I thought how here was Andrew and anotherMadge, and here was Billy Corliss, and here was the world gallopingalong lively. I couldn't but admire the way it was so made as to keepgoing, and me skinnyking it had come pretty near to a standstill.

By-and-by, Corliss and Madge McCulloch came across the yard from theback of the house, and climbed on the fence, and Madge hooked herfeet on the lower rail and talked happy. They spread out what wason their minds beautiful confident. I never knew a couple so open-minded.

"Billy wants to run away," she says, "but he doesn't know where toyet, unless it's to be a summer hotel in South America that fell intoa river. He thinks it was an interesting hotel," she says. "Do youthink it would be nice? But how would we get there?"

"It's wrong side up now," I says; and Billy Corliss says, "Why,there's a chance for housekeeping ingenious! Let's be social! 'SureMike!' says the dowager duchess, wishing to be democratic. Why, lookhere!" he says. "What right's a chimney got to be haughty over acellar?"

"0h, keep still, Billy!" says Madge McCulloch, and he closed up,sudden but happy, as if he'd been hit by a kettle.