that of me, yet girls are such idiots about devotion, and of
course she doesn't know what a heavy task I'm facing. And there
are the others--what will they do while I am out of the running? I
cannot go to her and say, 'Please, may I have a year's vacation?
I'll come back next September.' On the other hand, I shall surely
neglect my business if she expects me to compete. What pleasure
shall I get out of the seven millions if I lose her? I can't
afford to take chances. That Duke won't have seven millions next
September, it's true, but he'll have a prodigious argument against
me, about the twenty-first or second."

Then a brilliant thought occurred to him which caused him to ring
for a messenger-boy with such a show of impatience that Rawles
stood aghast. The telegram which Monty wrote was as follows:

SWEARENGEN JONES,

Butte, Montana

May I marry and turn all property over to wife, providing she will
have me?

MONTGOMERY BREWSTER.

"Why isn't that reasonable?" he asked himself after the boy had
gone. "Making property over to one's wife is neither a loan nor is
it charity. Old Jones might call it needless extravagance, since
he's a bachelor, but it's generally done because it's good
business." Monty was hopeful.