“Cap,” said he, “I know just how you feel.”

“What’s that?” said Franklin.

“Well, I mean, I allow me and you is pretty much in the same boat.”

“Eh?” said Franklin, puzzled.

“Why, both us fellers is fixed about the same.”

“I’m afraid I don’t quite understand you.”

“Well, now, er—­that is, you know, we both got a girl, you know—­I mean, we each has a girl—­”

Franklin’s face was not inviting, which fact Sam noticed, hastening with his apology.

“Oh, no offence, Cap,” said he hurriedly, “but I was just a-thinkin’.  You know that Nory girl over to the hotel.  Well, now, I’m gone on that girl, the worst sort o’ way.  Honest, Cap, I ain’t happy.  I used ter eat an’ sleep ’thout no sort of trouble, but now I’m all used up.  I ain’t right.  An’ it’s Nory.”

“Why don’t you marry her?” asked Franklin calmly.

Sam gasped.  “I—­I—­that’s it, that’s just it!  I—­can’t ast her!” he said, with despair and conviction in his voice.  “I’ve tried, and I can’t say a word to her about it, nothin’ more than mebbe to ast her to pass me the butter.  She don’t seem to understand.”

“Well, what do you expect?  Do you think she is going to ask you about it herself?”

“My God, Cap, I don’t know!  I ever she did, I know mighty well what I’d say.  But she won’t, and I can’t.  And there we are.  I lose my nerve every time I try to speak to her.  Now, I say this to you, man to man, you know, and no one the wiser; I can talk to anybody else about this, to anybody but just Nory.  Now, you’ve been goin’ down to this here Halfway House a-plenty for a long time, and I don’t know as you seem much furder along ’an I am.  So I allowed maybe you was hooked up a good deal the way I be.  You go down there, an’ set down and eat, an’ you set around like, but can’t seem to make no break—­you don’t dast to say what you want to say.  Is that so?”

Franklin flushed, his first impulse being of distinct displeasure; yet he recognised the perfect good faith of the other’s remarks and turned away without reply.

“An’ what I was goin’ to say,” continued Sam, following after him, “is like this.  Now, you ain’t afraid of Nory, an’ I ain’t afraid of Miss Beecham.  Turn about’s fair play.  I’ll speak to Miss Beecham for you, if you’ll just sort o’ lay this here before Nory for me.  You needn’t say much, understand!  If I ever onct get started, you know, I’ll be all right.  I could tell her all about it then, easy enough.  Now, say, Cap, six of one and half a dozen of the other.  Is it a go?”

Franklin could not keep back a smile.  “Well, in regard to my half of it,” he said, “I can neither affirm nor deny it.  But if what you say were true, don’t you think you might find it pretty hard to talk to Miss Beauchamp on this matter?”