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"What!"

"Have you seen Wallie Torbin to-day?"

Herbert sed "Why, what makes--what makes you ask me that, Henry?" he said

"Oh, nothin'" Henry still kept his eyes upon his gloo toe "I just wondered, because I didn't happen to see him in school this afternoon when I happened to look in the door of the Eight-A when it was open I didn't want to know on account of anything particular I just happened to say that about hi else to think about just then, so I just happened to think about hi et to thinkin' about you can't tell what That's all the way it was; I just happened to kind of wonder if he was around anywhere maybe"

Henry's tone was obviously, even elaborately, sincere; and Herbert was reassured "Well, I didn't see him," he responded "Maybe he's sick"

"No, he isn't," his friend said "Florence said she saw hi down the street about noon"

At this Herbert's uneasiness was uncomfortably renewed "Florence did? Where'd you see Florence?"

Mr Rooter sed "A little while ago," he said, and again sed "On the way home from school"

"Look--look here!" Herbert was flurried to the point of panic "Henry--did Florence--did she go and tell you--did she tell you----?"

"I didn't hardly notice what she was talkin' about," Henry said doggedly "She didn't have anything to say that I'd ever care two cents about She caot too s onshe ever talks about She's a girl what I think about her the less people pay any 'tention to what she says the better off they are"

"That's the ith me, Henry," his partner assured him earnestly "I never pay any notice to what she says The way I figure it out about her, Henry, everybody'd be a good deal better off if nobody ever paid the least notice to anything she says I never even notice what she says, myself"

"I don't either," said Henry "All I think about is what oin' to have their advice all the rest o' my life, after they're dead If they want me to be polite, why, I'll do it and that's all there is about it"