Page:Harold Titus--Timber.djvu/81

Rh and cock-sure of myself that my pride wouldn't let me ask questions of anybody!"

He hitched about so he could look squarely into the girl's face.

"I've seen you less than twenty-four hours, but I've made several kinds of an ass of myself in that time!" he went on, voice trembling. "I've been sure enough of myself before yesterday. I've thought I was able to judge people and I've never felt small before any one in my life—especially women. I didn't like you from the first. I thought I'd humble you last night after I put that lout out of your house; instead of that you made me feel like a—a worm!

"I heard you tell the man you call Goddard that I was only a little boy, the son of a rich man, who'd never grown up. That got under my skin—two hours ago; but now I guess maybe you're right." He swallowed slowly.

"Is that going far enough?" he demanded. "You're the first person I've ever run up against who could make me say these things about myself. I have never believed them myself before. I thought this job was only a preliminary step and not to be taken very seriously. But it seems that it is a serious matter with me. I'm on trial with my father; if I make good here I make good with him and that means backing for whatever I may try to do in the future. I don't know what's wrong with these logs, but everybody else does know. It's my business and I'm not in the secret. Now I'm asking you, a stranger, to let me in."

He stopped as suddenly as he had begun. For a moment the girl eyed him, her whole interest awakened.

"Get out, and I'll show you," she said almost curtly.