"Me? Look at me--picture of health. Harry, you"ve made a new man of me." Duncan pranced round his friend in a mild frenzy. "No booze--no smokes--no swears--work! I feel like a two-year-old: I could do a Marathon without turning a hair. Watch me kick up my heels and neigh!"
He paused for breath. "And you?"
"Fine as silk--but you"ve got it on me, Nat, physically. You"re a sight to heal the blind."
"And listen!" Nat crowed: "I"m a business man. Didn"t you believe it?
Pipe my shop!"
Kellogg checked to obey the admonition of Duncan"s gesticulations, and took a long look round the store. "Gad!" said he. "I"m blowed if it isn"t true! It _was_ hard to credit your letters. But it"s great, old man. I congratulate you, with all my heart."
"Just wait and I"ll tell you all about it. But first tell me how long you"re going to be here."
"Well, I plan to hang around with you a couple of days. My business in the West isn"t pressing."
"Good!"
"Which is the least worst hotel?"
"There ain"t no such thing in the whole giddy town.... No, none of that hotel stuff, now I I"m going to put you up--and I"ll do it in style, too. I wrote you about taking a new place for the Grahams?"
"Yes, and I"m mighty keen to meet "em. The girl here?"
"Betty? No; she"s coming home to-morrow. But Graham himself is upstairs in the laboratory. Take you up in a minute, but not before I"ve had a good look at you."
Kellogg found himself a chair. "Well," he inquired, twinkling, "how"s the scheme working out? Are you really living up to all the rules?"
"Every singletary one."
"You have got a strong const.i.tution.... Even prayer-meetings?"
"The church thing? Honest, Harry, I _own_ it."
"Bully for you, Nat. But how does it work? Was I right?"
"I should say you were. It"s so easy it"s a shame to do it. If this thing ever should get into the papers there"d be a swarm of city men lighting out for the Rube centres so thick you wouldn"t be able to see the sky."
"I knew it! Trust your Uncle Harry." Kellogg waited a time for further particulars, but Duncan seemed stuck; his transports of the few minutes just gone were sensibly abated; and the sidelong look he gave Kellogg was both uneasy and rueful--apprehensive, indeed. So Kellogg had to pump for news. "And you"ve made a strong play for the fond affections of Lockwood"s daughter?"
"Certainly not!"
"Not--?"
"You forget your rules." Nat grinned, whimsical. "I let her to make a play for me."
"Of course. My mistake.... But how has it worked?"
"Oh! immense." Duncan"s tone, however, was wholly dest.i.tute of enthusiasm. He stuck his hands in his trousers" pockets and half turned away from his friend, looking out of the window.
Kellogg smiled secretly. "You mean you"ve won her already?"
"Oh, there"s nothing to it," said Duncan, shaking his head and meaning just the exact opposite of what his words conveyed, for of such is our modern slang.
"Then you"re engaged?" Kellogg had understood perfectly, you see.
"No, not _yet_. I"ve got two months left--almost."
"So you have. And since she"s so strong for you, there"s no hurry: let her take her time."
"I only wish she would." Duncan removed one hand from the pocket the better to tug at his moustache. "It"s got beyond that--to the point where I have to keep dodging her."
"You don"t mean it! That"s splendid." Kellogg got up and slapped Nat"s shoulder heartily. "But don"t overdo the dodging. She might get her back up."
"Not she. She"d eat out of my hand, if I"d let her. You don"t understand."
"What"s the matter, then? Aren"t you strong for her?"
"I wish I were."
"But why? Is there another----?"
"No." Nat shook his head, honestly believing he was telling the truth.
"Only ... I don"t look at things the way I did once."
"Just what do you mean by that?"
Nat, squaring himself to face Kellogg, was very serious, now, and troubled. "See here, Harry," he said: "do you really want me to carry out the rest of the agreement?"
"Most certainly I do. Why not?"
"Because I"m pretty well fixed here. The business is making good--and so am I. It won"t be long before I can pay you back, with interest, as we agreed, without having to marry that poor girl and ... and draw on her money to make good to you."
"You want to go back on our agreement?" demanded Kellogg, with a show of disappointment and disgust.
"Yes and no. I won"t break faith with you, if you insist, but I"d give a lot if you"d let me off--let me pay back what you advanced and cry quits.... When you outlined this scheme I was down and three times out--willing to take a chance at anything, no matter how contemptible.
Now... well, it"s different."
"Good heavens! You don"t mean you"d be willing to _live_ here?"
Nat smiled, but not mirthfully. "I don"t know," he hesitated; "I"m afraid I"m beginning to like it."
"You, Nat?" Kellogg"s amazement was unfeigned. "You, ready to spend your life here slaving away in this measly store?"
Duncan grunted indignantly. "Hold on, now. Don"t you call this a measly store. There isn"t a more complete drug-store in the State!"
"Do you hear that?" Kellogg appealed vehemently to the universe at large. "Is it possible that this is Nat Duncan, the fellow who hated work so hard he couldn"t earn a living?... Gad, I believe I"ve arrived just in time!"
"In time for what?"
"To save you from yourself, old man. Here"s the heiress you came here to cop out, ready and anxious, everything else coming your way and ...
and you"re more than half inclined to back out.... You make me tired."