“Yes, sir,” Luke listened respectfully.

“My partner, Mr. Oliver Parker, of Pasadena, you know.”

“Yes, sir.” Luke Manders said sir now, very handily, but it carried no servility with it.

“A fine man, Mr. Parker; mighty fine man! Great pity going as early as he did. I miss him, I can tell you! Only came on here once or twice a year, but when he did, well, things moved! Never saw anybody to equal him. Often wonder,” he mused, “whether that son of his—young Peter—has his father’s brains and his energy. Hope so, the Lord knows, now that he’s my partner!” He chuckled. “Reckon he’s not worrying much about the old Altonia! Typical millionaire’s son, from all I hear. This was just a drop in the bucket for Parker, of course. He dipped into everything—cotton, oil, mines—and pulled out a plum every time. But I reckon there won’t be many plums for the boy, way poor Minnie let things go, and old Ben kind of slowing down.”

“Well, we aim to pull things up, sir,” Luke Manders promised quietly.

“I hope to the Lord we can,” Mr. ’Gene Carey said fervently. “I certainly do hope to the Lord we can! I’ve got a young lady daughter coming on, and[65] I want to do handsomely by her. I certainly do hope to the Lord we can make the old mill speed up, Luke.”

[65]

“That’s what we’re aiming to do, sir,” his new bookkeeper pledged again, gravely, and the senior partner went away heartened.

The next day he listened cordially to the youth’s suggestion that they make a place for Dr. Darrow’s daughter in the mill.

“She has finished business college, sir, and she will be a good worker. I can promise that.”

“But—look here, Luke, didn’t Dr. Darrow leave her provided for? Why, good land, he was the busiest man in town—always saw that old buggy of his rattling ’round!”

“I reckon he never crowded people to pay their bills,” young Manders offered. “She has that house, and a few hundred dollars in the bank, and that’s all.”

Mr. ’Gene Carey rumpled his abundant gray hair. “Shame, that’s what it is—man who spent his life taking care of folks— Well, that’s the way it goes, Luke! Certainly, we’ll make a place for her! Want her in here with you?”

Luke Mander’s 

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