ay."

Pete and Max looked at each other.

"The boys'll be sorry," said Pete. "It's kind of got out that maybe you'd
be here, and--I don't believe they'd let you off."

Hilda was smiling, but her face was flushed. She shook her head. "Oh, no,"
she replied; "I only came to help."

Pete turned on Max, with a clumsy laugh that did not cover his
disappointment.

"How about this, Max? You ain't been tending to business. Ain't that so,
James? Wasn't he going to see that she come and sat up with us where the
boys could see her?" He turned to Hilda. "You see, most of the boys know
you've had a good deal to do with things on the job, and they've kind of
took a shine to you--" Pete suddenly awoke to the fact that he had never
talked so boldly to a girl before. He hesitated, looked around at Max and
James for support and at Bannon, and then, finding no help, he grinned,
and the warm color surged over his face. The only one who saw it all was
Hilda, and in spite of her embarrassment the sight of big, strong, bashful
Pete was too much for her. A twinkle came into her eyes, and a faint smile
hovered about her mouth. Pete saw it, misunderstood it, and, feeling
relieved, went on, not knowing that by bringing that twinkle to Hilda's
eyes, he had saved the situation.

"It's only that they've talked about it some, and yesterday a couple of
'em spoke to me, and I said I'd ask Max, and--"

"Thank you, Mr. Peterson," Hilda replied. "Max should have told me." She
turned toward Max, her face sober now except for the eyes, which would not
come under control. Max had been dividing his glances between her and
Bannon, feeling the situation heavily, and wondering if he ought not to
come to her relief, but unable to dig up the right word. Pete spoke up
again:--

"Say, honest now, ain't you coming?"

"I can't really. I'm sorry. I know you'll have a good time."

Bannon had been standing aside, unwilling to speak for fear of making it
harder for her.

But now she turned to him and said, with a lightness that puzzled him:--

"Aren't we going to do some decorating, Mr. Bannon? I'm afraid it will be
dinner time before Mr. Peterson knows it."

Pete flushed again at this, but she gave him a quick smile.

"Yes," said Bannon, "there's only a little over half an hour." He paused,
and looked about the group, holding his watch in his hand and fingering
the stem. The lines about his mouth were settling. Hilda glanced again at
him, and from the det