Two men waved at him, and one demanded, "Say, Milt, is whisky good for the toothache? What d' you think! The doc said it didn't do any good. But then, gosh, he's only just out of college." "I guess he's right." "Is that a fact! Well, I'll keep off it then." Two stores farther on, a bulky farmer hailed, "Say, Milt, should I get an ensilage cutter yet?" "Yuh," in the manner of a man who knows too much to be cocksure about anything, "I don't know but what I would, Julius." "I guess I vill then." Minnie Rauskukle, plump, hearty Minnie, heiress to the general store, gave evidence by bridling and straightening her pigeon-like body that she was aware of Milt behind her. He did not speak to her. He ducked into the door of the Old Home Poolroom and Restaurant. Milt ranged up to the short lunch counter, in front of the pool table where two brick-necked farm youngsters were furiously slamming balls and attacking cigarettes. Loose-jointedly Milt climbed a loose-jointed high stool and to the proprietor, Bill McGolwey, his best friend, he yawned, "You might poison me with a hamburger and a slab of apple, Mac." "I'll just do that little thing. Look kind of grouchy tonight, Milt." "Too much excitement in this burg. Saw three people on the streets all simultaneously to-once." "What's been eatin' you lately?" "Me? Nothing. Only I do get tired of this metropolis. One of these days I'm going to buck some bigger place." "Try Gopher Prairie maybe?" suggested Mac, through the hiss and steam of the frying hamburger sandwich. "Rats. Too small." "Small? Why, there's darn near five thousand people there!" "I know, but--I want to tackle some sure-nuff city. Like Duluth or New York." "But what'd you do?" "That's the devil of it. I don't know just what I do want to do. I could always land soft in a garage, but that's nothing new. Might hit Detroit, and learn the motor-factory end." "Aw, you're the limit, Milt. Always looking for something new." "That's the way to get on. The rest of this town is afraid of new things. 'Member when I suggested we all chip in on a dynamo with a gas engine and have electric lights? The hicks almost died of nervousness." "Yuh, that's true, but---- You stick here, Milt. You and me will just nachly run this burg." "I'll say! Only---- Gosh, Mac, I would like to go to a real show, once. And find out how radio works. And see 'em put in a big suspension bridge!"