See? Mr. Minturn said we
could tell the minute we saw him----"
"Well young man, can you?" inquired a voice behind them.
With the same impulse Douglas and Mickey turned to Mr. Winton and Leslie
standing far enough inside the door to have heard all that had been said.
A slow red crept over Mickey's fair face. Douglas sprang to his feet, his
hand outstretched, words of welcome on his lips. Mr. Winton put him aside
with a gesture.
"I asked this youngster a question," he said, "and I'm deeply interested
in the answer. _Can you?_"
Mickey stepped forward, taking one long, straight look into the face of
the man before him; then his exultant laugh trilled as the notes of
Peter's old bobolink bird on the meadow fence.
"Surest thing you know!" he cried in ringing joy. "You're tired, you need
washing, sleep, and a long rest, but there isn't any glisteny, green look
on your face. It's been with you, like I told Mr. Chaffner it's in the
Bible; only with you, it's been even more than a man 'laying down his life
for his friend,' it was a near squeak, but you made it! Gee, you made it!
I should say I _could_ tell!"
Mr.
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