hesitate. Then, as if he had made up his mind to face an ordeal, he
went in and pressed the button of the elevator.

Leaving the elevator at the third floor, he went down the passage, and
pushed open a door on which was inscribed the legend, "Westley, Martin
& Co."

A stout youth, walking across the office with his hands full of papers,
stopped in astonishment.

"Hello, John Maude!" he cried.

The young man grinned.

"Say, where have you been? The old man's been as mad as a hornet since
he found you had quit without leave. He was asking for you just now."

"I guess I'm up against it," admitted John cheerfully.

"Where did you go yesterday?"

John put the thing to him candidly, as man to man.

"See here, Spiller, suppose you got up one day and found it was a
perfectly bully morning, and remembered that the Giants were playing
the Athletics, and looked at your mail, and saw that someone had sent
you a pass for the game--"

"Were you at the ball-game? You've got the nerve! Didn't you know there
would be trouble?"