It was one of those things you ladies wear on
your watch-chains, you know,"
"Yes?" she said indolently.
"Well, I took a tremendous fancy to it. But it seems it wasn't gold,
it was brass, and somebody told me so; I think it was Miss Ellen
herself. I was so disappointed, I didn't want to live--queer! I can
remember now just how I felt; a sort of sinking, here;" Sam laid his
hand on his breast, "So I decided to throw myself out of the window. I
did; but unfortunately--"
"You threw yourself out of the window!" she is interrupted horrified.
Sam laughed. "Oh, well, I wasn't successful: I continued to live.
Unfortunately my trousers caught on the grape trellis under the
window, and there I hung! It must have been pretty funny--though I
didn't think so at the time. First place, I tore my wrist on a nail--
that's the scar; and then father caught me and sent me to bed for
being a fool; so I didn't gain anything." His lip drooped. His feeling
for his father was a candid mixture of amusement and contempt.
"But do you always act on the spur of the moment?" she said
astonished.
Sam laughed and said he supposed so. "I am a good deal of a fool," he
added simply.
"Well," she said sighing, "it's dangerous to be like that. I know,
because I--I am a good deal of a fool myself." Then again, abruptly,
she changed the subject. "What do you think? I'm going to have some
company!"
Sam frowned.
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