Katie Glaston came over from Chicago one day, and as she knew Gladys and Mary she was joyfully welcomed to the select circle of "the bunch." And of course one of her first experiences was to run against Jim and Clara on the board walk. They were bound for a boat ride and the girls halted them long enough to graciously introduce the "hero" to Katie.
She acknowledged the introduction with marked coldness.
"Glaston?" said Jim, reminiscently; "any relation to D. B. Glaston?"
"He is my father, sir," said the young lady, and turned her back to speak with Betty.
Jim raised his eyebrows slightly, smiled with quiet amusement, and then walked on beside Clara, who had noticed the snub and was angry and indignant.
"What impudence!" she exclaimed, when they had passed out of earshot. "And from Katie Glaston, too! Why, Jim, her father is nothing more than a manager in a department store."
"I know," said Jim, nodding. "He's my chief. I'm in his department at Marshall Field's."
Clara shivered and stopped short. Then she walked on more slowly, with a red face and eyes staring straight ahead.
"Don't joke, Mr. Ingram," she remonstrated.
"Oh, I'm not joking," rejoined the young fellow, with a light laugh. "Didn't you know? I thought I had told you that I am a mere clerk in a department store."