"'Would you mind putting it in figures instead of gasoline?' he
said, laughing as though he had made an awfully good joke. I
laughed, too--just to humor him.

"'Well,' I said, 'with acetylene lamps, top, baskets, extra
tires, French tooter, freight, insurance, spare tools and a
leather coat--say three thousand.'

"'I can double that for you,' he said.

"'I don't want one cent more,' I said. That was just my chance
to shine--and I shined.

"He made a note of it in his pocketbook.

"'That's settled,' he said.

"'Not till I've said one thing more,' I remarked, 'and that is, I
shan't be horrid if the thing goes the wrong way. My dressmaker
once put a hundred dollars in an oil company, and the oil company
man was surer than you--and yet it went pop. I can easily tease
my mare back from papa.'

"He lay back again in the hammock and laughed, and laughed, and
laughed.

"'Oh, Jess Hardy,' he said, 'you'll be the death of me!'--and he
laughed as though it was at one of his own jokes.