“I wouldn’t know,” she said with a laugh. “How could a girl working in a newspaper office in Oakview make some extra money?”

“I’m not certain yet,” I said. “It depends on the blazed trail.”

“What about it?”

“How far it’s been blazed, and who blazed it.”

“Oh,” she said.

I caught the bartender’s eye and indicated the two empty glasses. While he was fixing the second cocktail, I said, “I’m listening.”

“It’s an excellent habit,” she told me. “I try to cultivate it.”

“Ever make any money at it?” I asked.

“No,” she said, and then, after a moment: “Have you?”

“A little.”