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"That's business," affirest planters coround-floor of the two-billion-dollar All-Cotton combine It can easily mean two million to you in five years"

"And the other planters?"

"They corip"

"And then?"

The quiet question seeray eyes took on the faraway look of a seer; the thin, bloodless lips for pleasant

"They keep their mouths shut or we squeeze 'em and buy the land We propose to own the cotton belt of the South"

Colonel Cresswell started indignantly from his seat

"Do you think--by God, sir!--that I'd betray Southern gentlemen to--"

But Harry's hand and impassive manner restrained him; he cooled as suddenly as he had flared up

"Thank you very much, Mr Taylor," he concluded; "we'll consider this ht, of course"

"Can't possibly--must catch that next train back"

"But we must talk further," the Colonel insisted "And then, there's your sister"

"By Jove! Forgot all about Mary" John Taylor after a little desultory talk, followed his host up-stairs

The next afternoon John Taylor was sitting beside Helen Cresswell on the porch which overlooked the terrace, and was, on the whole, thinking less of cotton than he had for several years To be sure, he was talking cotton; but he was doing ithow charirl Helen Cressas She fascinated hi of superiority that was al to understand and argue about thingsand handsorily aard This girl, on the other hand, just lounged and listened with an amused smile, or asked the most child-like questions She required him to wait on her quite as a matter of course--to adjust her pillows, hand her the bon-bons, and hunt for her lost fan Mr Taylor, who had not waited on anybody since his mother died, and not much before, found a quite inexplicable pleasure in these little domesticities Several tied to stay with her quite happily

On her part Miss Cressas vastly amused Her acquaintance with h so far as her own class was concerned They were all well-dressed and leisurely, fairly good looking, and they said the sas in the same way They paid her compliments which she did not believe, and they did not expect her to believe They were charly deferential in the matter of dropped handkerchiefs, but tyrannical of opinion They were thoughtful about candy and flowers, but thoughtless about feelings and inco This ainly and always in a desperate, unaccountable hurry He knew no pretty speeches, he certainly did not , and yet soentleman All this was new to Helen Cresswell, and she liked it