UNCONVENTIONAL CALLERS (2). Logs for the Fire. 

Can it be possible that the handsome young man who deals in logs and firewood cherishes a secret passion for a middle-aged housewife like myself? It seems unlikely; yet how else can I account for the dropped voice and the intimate tones in which he confides his bargains? He firmly refuses to deal with my maid, and, when he has brought me to the door, gives me a ravishing smile of apology:

 "I wouldn't bother you for the world," he says, “but it's like this. A man offered me the best load of logs I've seen for long enough, and I thought of you straight away. I popped them on the cart and ran ‘em along, so as you should have the very first chance." 

"We haven't finished the last load,“ I object. “There is no room to store then." 

“Let's look," says he — enticingly, and leads me to the wood-shed which he considers with an expert eye. “I could stack ‘om up easy at the side there," he wheedles.

 I hesitate and he suddenly changes his tactics.

 "Don't you let me rush you into it," he begs. “You know I'd hate to rush you into what you didn't want, don't you?" and he looks me frankly in the eye. Then his voice drops again to the tender note. "But I did want you to have the first offer -- seeing as it's you." Now he is past the first defence end when I ask: “How much do you want for them? “ he knows it. He brings his smiles, his eyes, his most intimate voice to bear on me and croons:

“Seeing as it's you, seven and six, But don"t you be telling anyone I did it at that price, for I wouldn't do it for anyone else but you.” 

Maybe he has the same tale for us all, maybe his bargain logs are much like the others, but when a woman is getting fat and fortyish she will take a risk of a bad bargain sometimes, for the joy of hearing a seductive voice murmur: "Seeing as it's you!"