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He tardily lighted his cigarette and sat s his face briefly now and then

"When I was joshing you there before supper," he went on, speaking low that he ht not be overheard--and ridiculed--fro a practice of doing the sa I hadn't heard about the dead tarantula on your pillow, or the rattler coiled up on the porch, or any of those innocent little jokes But if the rest areit their business to devil the life out of you, why--coize and tell you I'm out of it froht be considered ironical "I suppose I ought to say that your statement lessens my dislike of you--"

"Not at all" Grant interrupted her "Go right ahead and hate irls never did concern me much, one way or the other I never was susceptible to beauty, and that seems to be a woman's trump card, always--"

"Well, upon my word!"

"Sounds queer, does it? But it's the truth, and so what's the use of lying, just to be polite? I won't tor a josh, I' to do that--, anyway, and they're five to one But that needn't roped for words that would nothi him a victim of her fascinations

"You needn't stutter I'm not really stupid You don't like me any better than I like you I can see that We're to be as decent as possible to each other--you from 'common humanity,' and I because I prouess" Grant eyed her sidelong" Only I wouldn't go so far as to say I actually dislike you I never did dislike a girl, that I reh about them, one way or the other" He seemed rather fond of that statement, he repeated it so often" The life I live doesn't call for girls Put that's neither here nor there What I wanted to say was, that I won't bother you any ht, if you hadn't walked right up to ht back--the "