"  Oh — ah — fourteen — fourteen."


"  Fourteen  !     You  say  so  !
I  can  remember  when  I  wore  fourteen.
35


And    come    to   think    I    must   have   back    at

home
More  than  a  hundred  collars,  size  fourteen.
Too  bad  to  waste  them  all.    You  ought  to  have

them.
They're  yours  and  welcome  ;  let  me  send  them

to  you.
What  makes  you  stand  there  on  one  leg  like

that  ?
You're  not  much  furtherer  than  where  Kike

left  you.
You  act  as  if  you  wished  you  hadn't  come.
Sit  down  or  lie  down,  friend  ;    you  make  me


nervous."


The  Doctor  made  a  subdued  dash  for  it,
And  propped  himself  at  bay  against  a  pillow.
"  Not  that  way,  with  your  shoes  on   Kike's

white  bed.
You  can't  rest  that  way.     Let  me  pull  your

shoes  off."

36


"  Don't  touch  me,  please — I  say,  don't  touch

me,  please.
I'll  not  be  put  to  bed  by  you,  my  man."

'  Just  as  you  say.     Have  it  your  own  way  then.
1  My  man  '  is  it  ?     You  talk  like  a  professor.
Speaking  of  who's  afraid  of  who,  however,
I'm  thinking  I  have  more  to  lose  than  you
If  anything  should  happen  to  be  wrong.
Who    wants    to    cut    your    number    fourteen

throat  !
Let's  have  a  show  down  as  an  evidence
Of  good  faith.     There  is  ninety  dollars.
Come,  if  you're  not  afraid."

"  Fm  not  afraid.
There's  five  :   that  all  I  carry."

"  I  can  search  you  ?
Where  are  you  moving  over  to  ?     Stay  still.
