Her words were discouraging, but something in her eyes. . . . Something had happened to the town when I left Betty's house. The hard pavements were gone, and instead of them were beautiful silvery clouds. The ordinary air had changed into exhilarating ether. I wanted to sing; I wanted to tell people of my good fortune; but everybody must have known it to have looked at me. I kept saying to myself, "I'm engaged to be married! I'm engaged to be married!" When the teams went by they went "Click _clack_ety click!--click _clack_ety click!--I'm engaged to be married!--I'm engaged to be married!" Mother had gone to bed when I got home, but I woke her up and told her the good news. I expected her to be surprised, but she wasn't a bit. All she said was: "Well, everybody knew it but you!" I suppose it is because Love is blind that I didn't know. I told mother that we were going to be married on the 19th of June. "Do you think it wise to get married so soon?" "Yes, indeed," I said, "I need the help of a woman like Betty in my business. You see, mother, her business experience and her--" Mother kissed me on the lips and said: "Don't bother to think up any excuses--Love itself is sufficient excuse for that." I saw some tears in mother's eyes. I put my arm around her waist and said: "You are happy, aren't you, mother, dear?" She kissed me again and pushed me from her, and hurried to her room. When she got to the door she turned around and said, "God bless you, my boy." Believe me, I had _some_ mother. CHAPTER VI UNTYING SOME TANGLES On Tuesday I received a request for "immediate payment" of a demand note for $3,500.00, through some shyster lawyer in New York. I took it up to Barrington and asked him what to do about it. He gave me a paper to sign, and I put my name to it without bothering to read it. He then spoke sharply to me, and said: "For heaven's sake, lad, haven't you learned better than to sign your name to a paper without reading it?" "B-but," I said, stammering, "it's different with you!" "Different be damned!" he exclaimed petulantly. Then, "Excuse me, young man, but really, for a man in business you are acting very childishly. You thought Jim Simpson was your friend and trusted him. Now, even after the mess you got into, you haven't learned your lesson, and you sign anything I ask you to, without looking at it!" I read it through, and it was something about giving him full power to act for me in the matter of the note. "Now," said he, "this is going to cost you some money"--I winced at this--"but I'll see if I can't save you something." He got the New York lawyer on the long distance and offered him a thousand dollars cash in full settlement of the claim, or else threatened to contest the legality of the note. The upshot of it was that Barrington made a trip to New York to see him, and they compromised on $1,250.00. When Barrington returned from New York he came around to the house to see me.