Alice Adams

hould have found other for

man was at least vigorous enough-too much so, when his knees collided with Alice's-and he was too sturdy to be thrown off his feet, himself, or to a

he may have listened to other music of his own, for his expression was of high content; he seemed to feel no doubt whatever that he was dancing. Alice kept as far away from him as under the circumstances

dkerchief. "That was great!" he said. "Let's go out and sit in

. "I believe I'd rather stay i

"You think if you go out there you'll miss a chance of someone else

t revealed nothing encouraging, she added grac

cally. "Now let's get out of h

's the mat

at her. She keeps motioning me to come and see aft

ented to walk with him to a point in the next room from which Mrs. Dow

protested, innocently. "She don't know you more t

e does. I

and stir up other fellows to dance with her-it's simply impossible to make mother understand you CAN'T do that, you see. And then about me, you see, if she had her way I wouldn't get to dance with anybody at all except girls like Mildred Palmer and Henrietta Lamb. Mother wants to run my whole programm

y undamaged. "I see. So tha

And he added with a retrospective determination which showed that he had been throu

all your co

ful dancer, you see, and in the second, a man feels a lot more comfortable with you than he does with them. Of course I know almost all the other fellows get al

she said, t

sisted. "There goes th

I believe I'd like to go out in the corri

man about thirty. As these two walked slowly away, in the direction of the dancing-floor, they left it not to be doubted that they were on excellent terms with each other; Mildred was evidently willing to make their progres

er!" she

Dowling inquired

as tha

t you m

him before.

this Arth

puzzled. "Why, THAT'S funny! Only the last time I saw you,

ice informed him. "She's

because everybody says even if she isn't engaged to him right now, she most likel

xclaimed. "She's never e

sed a finger over the tiny prong that dashingl

" he remarked. "This Russell is some kind o

e

ars about pretty much everything that goes on, you see. Well, Ella says a lot of the girls have been talking about Mildred and this Arthur Russell for quite a while back, you s

, while Mildred IS my most intimate friend," she said, "I don't mean she tells me everything-and natur

off; at least Henrietta Lamb

bility. "Oh, never mind what Ella says! Let's fin

wling assented, ruefully. "

y the significance of a warning that Alice's definition, "my most intimate friend," lacked sanction. Indirect notice to this effect could not well have been more emphatic, but the sting of it was left for a later moment. Something else preoccupied Alice: she had just been surprised by an od

nreliable Omnipotence given to haphazard whimsies in dealing with its own creatures, choosing at random

Mildred was that this Mr. Arthur Russell, good-looking, kind-looking, graceful, the perfect fiance, should be also "VERY well off." Of course! These rich always married one another. And wh

u want to talk ab

gan to prattle. She pointed to the musicians down the corridor. "Oh, look at them! Look at the leader! Aren't they FUNNY? Someon

y from herself, she detached the forlorn bouquet of dead violets

e obscurity selected for it at t

was abrup

and all of a sudden you break out and talk a blue streak; and just about the time I begin to get interest

we're just qu

hat'll we do NOW?

e just sit

assented. "I'm willing to

dismay she saw him. She immediately made a horrible face at his companion, beckoned to him imperiously with a dumpy arm, and shook her head reprovingly. The unfortunate young man tried to repulse her with an icy stare, but this effort having

delled into the resemblance of an over-benevolent smile a contortion which neglected

to speak to you, Frank," Al

ms," she said. "I just thought as you and Frank wer

ll," Alic

l, what DO you want?" he inquired, whereupon

e you won't mind excusing him to let him do

want?" the

Lamb to have a pleasant evening, because it's the very first time she's been anywhere si

upted. "Miss Adams isn't int

lla and me, and I told her you we

"Look here! I'd

ity; and Henrietta said she had most of her dances taken, but she'd give you one if you as

me rosy. "I refuse to d

because it won't be long till all her dances are gone, and you've promised on your WORD to dance the

all," Al

t when I want to dance with any girl I don't need my moth

: the man will himself be cross in public and think nothing of it, nor will he greatly mind a little crossness on the part of the woman; but let her show agitation before any specta

ble in her voice. "It isn't very-very pleasant-to be

didn't say anything, mother. I was just joking about how

t I was doing you a little favour. I d

ness' sake! Miss

rupted, piteously, "I suppose i

graci

uthless Mrs. Dowling meant to have her way

"Miss Adams says so, hers

and propel him away. Mrs. Dowling's spirits had strikingly recovered even before the pair passed from the corridor: she

his most successful mysteries, and her present excursion gave her no clue leading to its solution. When the musicians again lo

ely by expression and attitude, that the supposed companion has left her for only a few moments, that she herself has sent him upon an errand; and, if possible, the minds of observers must be direct

pt one foot continuously moving a little, in cadence with the other, which tapped the floor. Moreover, she added a fine detail: her half-smile, with the under lip caught, seemed to struggle against repression, as if she found the service engaging her absent companion even more amusing than she would let him see when he returned: there was jovial intrigue of some sort afoot, evidently. Her eyes, beaming with sec

n summer evenings; and at eighteen she had replaced the boys with "the older men." By this time most of "the other girls," her contemporaries, were away at school or college, and when they came home to stay, they "came out"-that feeble revival of an ancient custom offering the maiden to the ceremonial inspection of the trib