THE WESTLAKES DECIDE TO INVEST Miss Hastings did not exactly snub Sam in the morning, but she was surprisingly indifferent to him after all her previous cordiality, and even went so far as to forget the early morning constitutional she was to have taken with him; instead she passed him coolly by on the porch right after an extremely early breakfast, and sauntered away down lovers' lane, arm in arm with Billy Westlake, who was already looking very much comforted.

Sam, who had been dreading that walk, released it with a sigh of intense satisfaction, planning that in the interim until time for his drive, he would improve his tennis a bit with Miss Westlake.

He was just hunting her up when he met Bob Tilloughby, who invited him to join a riding party from both houses for a trip over to Sunset Rock.
"Sorry," said Sam with secret satisfaction, "but I've an engagement over at Hollis Creek at ten o'clock," and Tilloughby carried that information back to Miss Westlake, who had sent him.
An engagement at Hollis Creek at ten o'clock, eh?
Well, Miss Westlake knew who that meant; none other than her dear friend, Josephine Stevens! Being a young lady of considerable directness, she went immediately to her father.
"Have you definitely made up your mind, pop, to take stock in Mr.
Turner's company ?" she asked, sitting down by that placid gentleman.
Without removing his interlocked hands from their comfortable resting-place in plain sight, he slowly twirled his thumbs some three times, and then stopped.
"Yes, I think I shall," he said.
"About how much ?" Miss Westlake wanted to know.
"Oh, about twenty-five thousand." "Who's to get it ?" "Why, I thought I'd divide it between Billy and you." Miss Westlake put her hand on her father's arm.
"Say, pop, give it to me, please," she pleaded.

"Billy can take the next stock you buy, or I'll let him have some of my other in exchange." Mr.Westlake surveyed his daughter out of a pair of fish-gray eyes without turning his head.
"You seem to be especially interested in this stock.

You asked about it yesterday and Sunday and one day last week." "Yes, I am," she admitted.