"Got any girls yourself, Von Taer?"

"A daughter, sir. My only child.

"Grown up?"

"A young lady now, sir."

"Then you'll understand. I'm a plain uneducated man myself. Never been
any nearer swell society than a Fifth Avenue stage. My money has given
me commercial position, but no social one worth mentioning. Your '400's'
a bunch I can't break into, nohow."

A slight smile hovered over the other's lips, but he quickly controlled
it.

"They tell me, though," continued the speaker, "that _your_ family has
long ago climbed into the top notch of society. You're one o' the big
guns in the battery, an' hold the fort against all comers."

Von Taer merely bowed. It was scarcely necessary to either admit or
contradict the statement. Uncle John was a little indignant that his
companion showed no disposition to assist him in his explanation, which
a clear head might now easily comprehend. So, with his usual frankness,
he went directly to the point.

"I'd like my girls to get into the best--the most select--circles," he
announced. "They're good and pretty and well-mannered, so it strikes me
they're entitled to the best there is a-going. I don't want to mix with
your swell crowd myself, because I ain't fit; likewise the outfit ain't