wife home and foisted her and her babies on Letty, he rather turned
against him. David was younger than himself, four or five years
younger, but he looked as if he hadn't grown up. Surely his boyhood
chum hadn't used to be so pale and thin-chested or his mouth so
ladylike and pretty. A good face, though; straight and clean, with
honest eyes and a likable smile. Lack of will, perhaps, or a
persistent run of ill luck. Letty had always kept him stiffened up in
the old days. Dick recalled one of his father's phrases to the effect
that Dave Gilman would spin on a very small biscuit, and wondered if
it were still true.

"And you, Dick? Your father's still living? You see I haven't kept up
with Beulah lately."

"Keeping up with Beulah! It sounds like the title of a novel, but the
hero would have to be a snail or he'd pass Beulah in the first
chapter!--Yes, father's hale and hearty, I believe."

"You come home every Christmas, I s'pose?" inquired David.

"No; as a matter of fact this is my first visit since I left for
good."

"That's about my case." And David, hung his head a little,
unconsciously.

"That so? Well, I was a hot-headed fool when I said good-bye to
Beulah, and it's taken me all this time to cool off and make up my
mind to apologize to the dad. There's--there's rather a queer
coincidence about my visit just at this time."