im, he departed hotly.

... Mr. Parcher's voice expressed wonder, a little later, as he
recommended his wife to turn her gaze in the direction of "that Baxter
boy" again. "Just look at him!" said Mr. Parcher. "His face has got more
genuine idiocy in it than I've seen around here yet, and God knows I've
been seeing some miracles in that line this summer!"

"He's looking at Lola Pratt," said Mrs. Parcher.

"Don't you suppose I can see that?" Mr. Parcher returned, with some
irritation. "That's what's the trouble with him. Why don't he QUIT
looking at her?"

"I think probably he feels badly because she's dancing with one of the
other boys," said his wife, mildly.

"Then why can't he dance with somebody else himself?" Mr. Parcher
inquired, testily. "Instead of standing around like a calf looking out
of the butcher's wagon! By George! he looks as if he was just going to
MOO!"

"Of course he ought to be dancing with somebody," Mrs. Parcher remarked,
thoughtfully. "There are one or two more girls than boys here, and
he's the only boy not dancing. I believe I'll--" And, not stopping to
complete the sentence, she rose and walked across the interval of grass
to William. "Good evening, William," she said, pleasantly. "Don't you
want to dance?"

"Ma'am?" said William, blankly, and the eyes he turned upon here were
glassy with anxiety. He was still determined to dance on and on and on
with Miss Pratt, but he realized that there were great obstacles to be
overcome before he could begin the process. He was feverishly awaiting
the next interregnum between dances--then he would show Joe Bullitt and
Johnnie Watson and Wallace Banks, and some others who had set themselves
in his way, that he was "abs'lutely not goin' to stand it!"

He couldn't stand it, he told himself, even if he wanted to--not
to-night! He had "been through enough" in order to get to the party, he
thought, thus defining sufferings connected with his costume, and now
that he was here he WOULD dance and dance, on and on, with Miss Pratt.
Anything else was unthinkable.

He HAD to!

"Don't you want to dance?" Mrs. Parcher repeated. "Have you looked
around for a girl without a partner?"

He continued to stare at her, plainly having no comprehension of her
meaning.

"Girl?" he echoed, in a tone of feeble inquiry.

She smiled and nodded, taking his arm. "You come with me," she said.
"I'LL fix you up!"

William suffered her to conduct him across the yard. Inte