"Oh, by the way, I heard of something that sounded pretty good. It isn't in New York——"
"I certainly hope it is no farther away," broke in Mrs. Goodwin. "I can't bear to think of your leaving home at all."
Walter coughed rather nervously and assured her:
"Oh, I should take good care of myself and brush my teeth twice a day and say my prayers ditto, so you wouldn't have the slightest reason to worry about me. And I'd write home every week, sure."
"But couldn't you come home every week?" asked Eleanor.
"Well, hardly, sis. I have heard of the greatest place in the world for a husky young fellow with the right stuff in him. Seventy-five dollars a month, and there are various jobs I am capable of filling——"
"Is this a fairy story?" and Mr. Goodwin gazed over his glasses with a perplexed expression.
"No, sir, and the climate is healthy nowadays, and the men on the job look as fit as can be, and they are just the bulliest-looking lot you ever saw and——"
"Oh, Walter, tell us the answer. What is it all about?" implored Eleanor.
"I'll send you a monkey and a string of pearls, Sis. Say, father, we Americans ought to be proud of the Panama Canal, don't you think?"