peeped over the transom. Springing down,
he wrenched open the doors and ran out into
the dining-room. Tiny and Lena, Antonia and
Mary Dusak, were waltzing in the middle of
the floor. They separated and fled toward
the kitchen, giggling.

Kirkpatrick caught Tiny by the elbows.
"What's the matter with you girls? Dancing
out here by yourselves, when there's a room-
ful of lonesome men on the other side of the
partition! Introduce me to your friends, Tiny."

The girls, still laughing, were trying to es-
cape. Tiny looked alarmed. "Mrs. Gardener
wouldn't like it," she protested. "She'd be
awful mad if you was to come out here and
dance with us."

"Mrs. Gardener's in Omaha, girl. Now,
you're Lena, are you? -- and you're Tony and
you're Mary. Have I got you all straight?"

O'Reilly and the others began to pile the
chairs on the tables. Johnnie Gardener ran in
from the office.

"Easy, boys, easy!" he entreated them.
"You'll wake the cook, and there'll be the
devil to pay for me. She won't hear the music,
but she'll be down the minute anything's
moved in the dining-room."

[[216]]

p215 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p216w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p217

v?