“It was Mr. Barton who saved us and the rest of the small stockholders,” the girl said firmly. “Well, I suppose you must say so. I presume you feel some gratitude to him for raising your pay. You never would have got it without his say-so.” “I hope I earn it,” Ethel observed with some sharpness. “I believe I am worthy of my wages, just as Mr. Barton is worthy of the credit of having put the Hapwood-Diller Company on its feet.” “Still talking shop?” asked the cheerful voice of Benway Chase. He had come up the walk without the widow and her daughter hearing him till he spoke. “Oh, Ethel is singing the praises of that wonderful Mr. Barton, as usual,” her mother said. “I’ll join in,” Ben Chase chuckled, and he sat down on the step of the porch to fill and light his pipe. “We’ve got to hand it to Mr. Barton, Mrs. Clayton. He did another good deed to-day. Promised to take me into the offices.” “Oh, Ben!” exclaimed the girl in sheer delight. “Did you speak to him as I advised you?” “Certainly did. I got tired of waiting on the pleasure of those other people who had promised me a job. I have spent every cent we can afford getting a business course and just because I am left-handed the business men I have seen hem and haw over hiring me--or even giving me a chance to show them I am as quick as a fellow with two hands.” “Dear me, Bennie, don’t talk in that way,” murmured Mrs. Clayton. “Nobody wants a fellow with one hand--not really!” exclaimed the young man with vigor. “They won’t take me in the army--though a fellow could work a machine gun very well with one paw,” and he laughed without managing to get much mirth into the sound. “But your Mr. Barton is different,” he added, turning to Ethel. “I saw him to-day at lunch hour--while you were out, Ethel. He never said a word about my bum wing. By the way, did you know he was going away?” “Who’s going away?” asked Mrs. Clayton, scenting gossip. “Not Mr. Barton?” cried her daughter quickly. “Spoke as though he expected to be absent from the offices in the near future. Said you and that Jim Mayberry would break me in all right. What did he mean if it wasn’t that he expected to be absent?” The girl looked at him breathlessly and her face was actually pale. Mrs. Clayton drawled: “I suppose he must mean to take a vacation.” “That’s not it, is it?” Benway Chase asked Ethel, realizing that she was deeply moved. “It’s the war!” gasped the girl. “The war?” rejoined her mother. “What’s that to do with Mr. Barton? He’s exempt, isn’t he?” “He will enlist. I knew he would!” The girl’s hands were clasped in real agony and her voice showed imminent tears. “Oh, I knew he would!” “Not really?” exclaimed Benway, forgetting to keep his pipe alight. “Mr. Barton can’t be spared, can he?” “I suspected all along how he felt about it,” moaned the girl. “Ever since April when war was declared--even before.”