vers who
patrolled the flooring of the wharf. A "gang" of rude young
men--toughs--walked up and down, teasing the girls, wrestling,
scuffling, and roaring out bad language. Troops of children played at
leap-frog, high-spy, jack-stones, bean-bag, hop-scotch, and tag. At the
far end of the pier some young men and women waltzed, while a lad on the
string-piece played for them on his mouth-organ. A steady, cool,
vivifying breeze from the bay swept across the wharf and fanned all the
idlers, and blew out of their heads almost all recollection of the
furnacelike heat of the town.

Cordelia forgot her desire to display her conquest. She forgot her true
self. She likened the wharf to that "lordly veranda overlooking the
sea," where the future Mayor begged Clarice to be his bride. She knew
just what she would say when her prince spoke his lines. She and Mr.
Fletcher were just about to seat themselves on the great rim of the
wharf, when an uproar of the harsh, froglike voices of half-grown men
caused them to turn around. They saw Jerry Donahue striding towards
them, but with difficulty, because half a dozen lads and youths were
endeavoring to hold him back.

"Dat's Mr. Fletcher," they said. "It ain't his fault, Jerry. He's dead
square; he's a gent, Jerry."

The politician's gilly tore himself away from his friends. The gang of
toughs gathered behind the others. Jerry planted himself in front of
Cordelia. Evidently he did not know the submissive part he should have
played in Cordelia's romance. James the butler made no out-break, but
here was Jerry angry through and through.

"You didn't keep de date wid me," he began.

"Oh, Jerry, I did--I tried to, but you--" Cordelia was red with shame.

"The hell you did! Wasn't I--"

"Here!" said Mr. Fletcher; "you can't swear at this lady."

"Why wouldn't I?" Jerry asked. "What would you do?"

"He's right, Jerry. Leave him be--see?" said the chorus of Jerry's
friends.

"A-a-a-h!" snarled Jerry. "Let him leave me be, then. Cordelia, I heard
you was a dead fraud, an' now I know it, and I'm a-tellin' you so,
straight--see? I was a-waitin' 'cross der street, an' I seen you come
out an' meet dis mug, an' you never turned yer head to see was I on me
post. I seen dat, an' I'm a-tellin' yer friend just der kind of a racket
you give me, der same's you've give a hundred other fellers. Den, if he
likes it he knows what he's gittin'."

Jerry was so angry that he all but pushed his distorte