, and not let him
loose to eat up my girl?" he stormed.

"Oh, Pink, how can you be so ungenerous, when you know how wonderful he
is and how wonderful his play will be if you and everybody are kind and
good to him while he is writing it," I chided him.

"Well, he had better not put Julia into it without me," he answered,
somewhat mollified at my reproof.

"He won't, I know he won't," I hastened to assure him. "Especially if
you are nice to him, as you promised. You know, Pink, you are an awfully
interesting man in some ways, and I know it is going to do Peter a lot
of good to be friends with you; you are so--so substantial."

"That's it; slap my fat! Everybody does," he answered, gloomily.

"It was the mules I was talking about, not you, Pink," I answered,
hurriedly, for I know how sensitive he is.

"Well, call me a mule then," he again said, with the deepest depression.

"Now don't be stupid, Pink, and--"

"I am stupid, too!"

"Pink Herriford, will you please tell my friend, Peter Vandyne, about
your heroism in stopping the stampede of those thousand mules you were
shipping to France in time to save the lives of all of them and about
ten men? I seem to have to speak to you in words of two syllables
to-night." I could feel my cheeks burn with temper as I spoke and Pink
came immediately out of his grouch and into his own happy personality.

"Holy smoke! Betty, but that was some stunt! First I saw a big red mule
lift his hind legs in ugly temper, and let fly right and left just as--"

"Oh, wait Pink, let me get Peter!" I exclaimed, as I heard the dance
that Pink and I had been arguing out, instead of sitting or dancing out,
stop to get breath.

Pink was a wonder as he stood in the center of everybody that I had
gathered around him to hear in particular what they had all been talking
about in general. We were all spellbound, for it was a really exciting
and tremendous recital, and even Julia came out of her daze over Peter
to listen with rapt attention, though I imagine she had heard it before.

"Immense!" exclaimed Peter, with his pale, thin face in a perfect flame
of excitement just as Pink threw his own body right in front of the
largest mule and turned his neck and--

"What?" said Pink, as he glared at Peter suspiciously.

"Perfectly great," said Peter, laying his arm on Pink's. "And I don't
see--"

Just here I slipped out onto the porch and sat down on the steps in the
starlight to get my breath whil