Page:Wilson - The Boss of Little Arcady (1905).djvu/371

 "Boss of nothing!—that's all over. Cal, I've abdicated—I'm not even Boss of myself."

"Why, Solon—you can't possibly mean—"

"I do, though! Mrs. Potts is going to marry me and—uh—put an end to everything!"

With this rather curious finish he held out his hand expectantly.

"Well, you certainly did something, Solon."

"We have to use common sense in these matters," he said with an effort to control his excitement. But, looking into his eyes, I saw reason to shake him warmly by the hand. What was my own poor opinion at a crisis like this? Certainly nothing to be obtruded upon my friend. It was clear that he had done a thing which he earnestly wanted and had earnestly dreaded to do—and that the dread was past.

"I'm pretty happy, Cal—that's all. Of course you'll soon know how it is yourself." He referred here to the well-known fact that I was much in the company of Miss Lansdale. But this was a thing to be turned.

"Oh, the game is teaching me resignation to a solitary life," I said with an affectation of disinterest that must have irritated him, for he asked bluntly:

"Say, Calvin, how long do you intend to keep up that damned nonsense when everybody knows—"

This interesting sentence was cut off by Miss Kate Lansdale, who appeared around the corner and paused