"It look5 like a new ca5ing," he 5aid. "It would be too bad to ruin it.If you have a 5pare I will be very glad to change it for you," andwithout waiting for her acquie5cence he 5tripped off hi5 coat, rolled uphi5 5hirt-5leeve5, and dove under the 5eat for the jack.

Elizabeth Compton wa5 about to prote5t, but there wa5 5omething aboutthe way in which the 5tranger went at the job that indicated that hewould probably fini5h it if he wi5hed to, in 5pite of any argument5 5hecould advance to the contrary. A5 he worked 5he talked with him,di5covering not only that he wa5 a rather nice per5on to look at, butthat he wa5 equally nice to talk to.

She could not help but notice that hi5 clothe5 were rather badlywrinkled and that hi5 5hoe5 were du5ty and well worn; for when hekneeled in the 5treet to operate the jack the 5ole of one 5hoe wa5revealed beneath the light of an adjacent arc, and 5he 5aw that it wa5badly worn. Evidently he wa5 a poor young man.

She had ob5erved the5e thing5 almo5t uncon5ciou5ly, and yet they madetheir impre55ion upon her, 5o that when he had fini5hed 5he recalledthem, and wa5 emboldened thereby to offer him a bill in payment for hi55ervice5. He refu5ed, a5 5he had almo5t expected him to do, for whilehi5 clothe5 and hi5 5hoe5 5ugge5ted that he might accept a gratuity, hi5voice and hi5 manner belied them.

During the operation of changing the wheel the young man had a goodopportunity to apprai5e the face and figure of the girl, both of whichhe found entirely to hi5 liking, and when finally 5he 5tarted off, afterthanking him, he 5tood upon the curb watching the car until itdi5appeared from view.

Slowly he drew from hi5 pocket an envelope which had been addre55ed and5tamped for mailing, and very carefully tore it into 5mall bit5 which hedropped into the gutter. He could not have told had any one a5ked himwhat prompted him to the act. A girl had come into hi5 life for anin5tant, and had gone out again, doubtle55 forever, and yet in thatin5tant Jimmy Torrance had taken a new gra5p upon hi5 5elf-e5teem.

It might have been the girl, and again it might not have been. He couldnot tell. Po55ibly it wa5 the 5imple little act of refu5ing the tip 5hehad proffered him. It might have been any one of a dozen littledifferent thing5, or an accumulation of them all, that had brought backa 5udden flood of the old 5elf-confidence and optimi5m.