“I didn’t mind,” Tom assured her earnestly. “Only--I wondered what it was. I asked Sid and he said he guessed it was just one of your jokes.” “Of course it was; a rather silly one, too, Tom. Do you remember stopping one day in front of Sewall’s jewelry store and looking in a mirror?” “No’m, I don’t think so.” Tom shook his head. “It was away last summer--or early in the fall, Tom. You looked in the mirror and frowned and then you took off your hat and smoothed your hair. And then you nodded at yourself quite satisfied and looked up and caught me smiling at you. Don’t you remember now?” “Yes’m.” Tom laughed shamefacedly. “You scowled at me terrifically,” went on Mrs. Morris. “It amused me because I thought I knew just how you felt at being caught primping. And then when I saw you in Cummings and Wright’s that time I recognised you at once and thought I’d have a little fun with you. So I asked about your hair. That’s all there is to it. As to your hair being red, why, it isn’t; not really red, you know. It’s a perfectly wonderful shade and I wish I had it, Tom!” Tom thought her own soft brown hair infinitely more lovely and becoming, but he didn’t say so. He only grinned. “Are you terribly angry with me?” she went on smilingly. “No’m.” Tom shook his head again. “I--I guess I sort of liked it!” Then Sidney burst in, laden with packages, and dragged Tom upstairs to witness the installation of a new detector. At the store Tom had been making strides. As yet there had been no mention of a raise in wages; he was still receiving his two dollars a week and being credited with fifty cents against the price of the pump; but he had progressed wonderfully. To be sure, he still swept and washed windows and ran an occasional errand, but he was at last a real clerk when those duties did not engage his attention. It had begun when Tom had acted on Sidney’s suggestion and explained to Mr. Cummings that it might be a good plan to keep hockey sticks as well as skates. Mr. Cummings had fallen in with the idea at once and had ordered the sticks. Unfortunately they had proved, on arrival, to be rather inferior and purchasers had objected to them. “Well,” said Mr. Cummings when Tom reported the matter, “you find out what make of stick the boys want and let me know. This is your undertaking, Tom.”