“It’s apt to be like that in hot weather after a rain,” Martha returned placidly. “What went wrong at the office this afternoon, papa?” “Nothin’!” he said fiercely. “What’s my office got to do with wet salt? Why can’t you ever learn to keep some connection between your thoughts? Geemunently!” “So you had a good day, did you, papa?” “It would ’a’ been,” he replied angrily, “if it hadn’t been for a fool friend o’ yours!” “Somebody I’m responsible for?” she inquired with a genial sarcasm that exasperated him into attempted mockery—for when he was angriest with her he would repeat something she said, and, to point the burlesque, would speak in a tinny and whining falsetto which he seemed to believe was a crushing imitation of his daughter’s voice. “‘Somebody I’m responsible for?’” he squeaked, using this form of reprisal now. “No; it ain’t somebody you’re responsible for!” Here he fell back upon downright ferocity. “Doggone him! Somebody _better_ be responsible for him!” At this Martha made a good guess. “Dan Oliphant!” “Yes, ma’am! And I came within just one o’ throwin’ him out o’ my office! Stood up there and grinned at me in front o’ my own desk and told me what I had to do! What I _had_ to do!” “And _do_ you have to, papa?” she asked. “What!” “I only wondered——” “Why, plague take him, I never saw the beat of it!” he went on, disregarding her. “Walked right into my office and told me I had to run my car line all the way across his Addition. Told me I _had_ to! I told him we _were_ goin’ almost to the edge of it and that’d be every last speck o’ the way we’d move until he does the right thing.” “Until he does what ‘right thing,’ papa?” “Until he quits bein’ a hog!” the old man returned violently. “He seems to think the best men in this town got nothin’ on earth to do but spend their time buildin’ up his property for him and makin’ it more valuable, all for _his_ benefit. I told him when he was ready to act like a decent man and reorganize his holdings with a good trust company’s advice, and issue stock, and let somebody else _in_, we might talk to him and not before.” “What did Dan say?” “Said he tried to get us in at the start, and now we could go plum _to_! Said I’d put that car line through there whether I wanted to or not. Threatened me with a petition of his lot owners, and said they were liable to go before the legislature and get my charter annulled, if I didn’t do it.” “Was he angry, papa?”