he "might want to stretch the loafin' half." And he hired Issy
because--well, because "most folks in East Harniss are alike and you can
always tell about what they'll say or do. Now Issy's different. The Lord
only knows what HE'S likely to do, and that makes him interestin' as a
conundrum, to guess at. He kind of keeps my sense of responsibility from
gettin' mossy, Issy does."

"Issy," hailed Mr. Phinney, "has the Cap'n got here yet?"

Issy answered not. The villainous floorwalker had just proffered
matrimony or summary discharge to "Flora, the Beautiful Shop Girl," and
pending her answer, the McKay mind had no room for trifles.

"Issy!" shouted Simeon. "I say, Is', Wake up, you foolhead! Has Cap'n
Sol--"

"No, he ain't, Sim," volunteered Ed Crocker. He and his chum, Cornelius
Rowe, were seated in two of the waiting room chairs, their feet on two
others. "He ain't got here yet. We was just talkin' about him. You've
heard about Olive Edwards, I s'pose likely, ain't you?"

Phinney nodded gloomily.

"Yes," he said, "I've heard."

"Well, it's too bad," continued Crocker. "But, after all, it's Olive's
own fault. She'd ought to have married Sol Berry when she had the
chance. What she ever gave him the go-by for, after the years they was
keepin' comp'ny, is more'n I can understand."