Everybodys Chance | Page 8

night, that every man has his chance in life, that it is very close to him,
and that only he is to blame if he won't see it. To be happily in love is
the one thing you need to make you as happy as you are manly, and I'm
sure that's saying a great deal. Instead of that you're belittling yourself.
You're my friend; you've done more for me this morning than any other
man ever did, and until I can do something equally good for you I want
to ease my mind by giving you some good advice. You ought to do just
what I have done, determining, as I did, that whatever else had to be
done afterward I would do with all my might, or make a better man of
myself while failing. Why don't you do it? Have you proposed yet?"
"No!"
"Doesn't the girl even know that you love her?"
"No. I don't see, at least, how she can know it."
"That's bad-- for her. 'Twould make life a very different thing for any
woman in this dead-and-alive town to know that a man like you cared
for her. Women in Brundy-- young women-- have a pretty dismal
outlook. I'm not going again to ask you who she is, but I do wish I
knew, for I'd take the responsibility of telling her; after that she'd wait
forever, and be happy in spite of anything, to know that there was such
great good fortune in store for her."
"You'd tell her, would you?" snarled Chump. "I've a great mind to let
you, just to see what a flunk you would make of it, you--"

"I dare you to do it," said Charley, meeting Champ's scowl without
flinching. The older man glared furiously, and suddenly betook himself
again to his axe, dashing at the tree as if it were his rival himself. But
Charley's blood also was up, and he went on, shouting so that his words
should not be drowned by the shower of axe-strokes.
"Yes, I dare you. I don't care a bit for your temper; you're a first-rate
fellow in spite of it, and the woman who doesn't know that you love her
shall know it at once if I can find out who she is."
Champ faced about, dropped his axe, controlled his face, and said, with
manly dignity:
"She is Luce Grew."
"Luce!" exclaimed Charley, staggering backward.
"Yes, Luce. Now do you know why you won't tell her? It is because I
love her, and want her to be happy, that I've thrown this job into your
hands this morning. She has accepted you; well, that is her own
business, and her own right, and no one else has the slightest use for
complaining. But mark my words, young man. I never shall annoy her
in any way, but I shall never cease to love her. On the other hand, if
you fail to be to her everything that you've promised and everything
that is in your power, you will have me to reckon with. She's one of
your chances; this job of wood-chopping is another; if you don't take as
industriously to this as you do to the other, don't ever speak to me again
anywhere, in any circumstances, and be careful to keep out of my path
Good-morning."

III -- "THEY SAY--"
Although Luce had enjoined secrecy upon Charley, and protested
against publicity being given by acts and manners any more than by
words, she found Charley's society so pleasant that she had not the
heart to forbid him to call frequently. She discouraged all attempts at
effusive love-making; but she could not help being interested and

cheered by the young man's enthusiasm, for the people of Brundy
seldom found anything to be enthusiastic about, and as Luce was a
great-hearted creature her lover's irrepressible spirits made good the
lack of something which she often felt.
But how can any one keep a secret in a town where the people have
only other people's affairs to occupy their leisure moments? Within a
week everybody was telling everybody else that Charley Wurring had
been three times-- some said four-- to the Grews' since the night of the
lecture, and that it must mean something; as Luce was the only adult
girl in the family, and there were no young men among her brothers,
public opinion was not long in determining what the something was.
Luce was not the kind of girl of whom girls in general ask leading
questions, but it needs not direct statements to establish anything which
a lot of gossips desire to believe, so that in less than another week all
Brundy, despite Charley's evasions, regarded the couple as fully
engaged, and discussed them accordingly at shops,