"It was long ago," said Stover, thrilling with the delight of authorship. "She died in a ship-wreck to save me."
The Roman was nonplussed. There was always the possibility that the story might be true.
"Ah, she gave her life to save yours, eh?" he said encouragingly.
"Held my head above water, breeches buoy and all that sort of thing," said Stover, remembering something in Dickens. "I was the only one saved, me and the ship's cat."
"Well, well," said The Roman, with a return of confidence; "and your father--is he alive?"
"Yes," said Stover, considering the distant woods; "but--but we don't speak of him."
"Ah, pardon me," said The Roman, gazing on him with wonder. "Painful memories--of course, of course. And what happened to your brother?"
Stover, perceiving the note of skepticism, turned and looked The Roman haughtily in the face, then, turning to Jimmy, he said in a half whisper:
Jimmy stiffened on the box as though he had received an electric shock; then, biting his lips, he answered with a vicious lunge at the horses:
"Oh, he comes back and forth every now and then."
They were now in the open country, rolling steadily past fields of sprouting things, with the warm scent of new-plowed earth borne to them on the gentle April breeze.
All of a sudden Stover seemed to dive sideways from the coach and remained suspended by his razor-tipped patent-leathers.
"Hi, there!" cried Jimmy, bringing the coach to a stop with a jerk, "what are you trying to do?"
"Seeing if there are any females inside."
"What's that to you?" said Jimmy indignantly.
"Keep your eye peeled and I'll show you," said the urchin, standing up, freeing his belt and unbuttoning his vest. In a moment, by a series of contortions, he drew forth the three signs and proudly displayed them.
"See these gilt ones," he said confidentially to the astounded Roman, "got 'em in the open car; stood right up and unscrewed them--penal offense, my boy. The tin one was easier, but it's a beaut. 'No loitering on these premises.' Cast your eye over that," he added, passing it to The Roman, who, as he gravely received it, gave Jimmy a dig that cut short a fit of coughing.
"Em, yes, quite extraordinary--quite so."
"And what do you think of these?" continued Stover, producing two silver nickel-plated knobs ravished from the washbasin. "'Pull and Push'--that's my motto. Say, Bill, how does that strike you?"