nd the limit, however. He had found a pail of soft-soap in the
shed and while the crowd was out of the barn, playing a "round game"
in the yard while it was being swept, Pete slunk in with the soap and a
swab, and managed to spread a good deal of the slippery stuff around on
the boards.

A broom would not remove this soft-soap. When the hostler swept, he
only spread it. And when the dancing began many a couple measured their
length on the planks, to Pete's great delight.

But the hired man had observed Pete sneaking about while he was removing
the last of the corn, and Hiram Strong discovered soft-soap on Pete's
clothes, and the smell of it strong upon his unwashed hands.

"You get out of here," Mr. Bronson told the boy. "I had occasion to put
you off my land once, and don't let me have to do it a third time,"
and he shoved him with no gentle hand through the door and down the
driveway.

But Pete laid it all to Hiram. He called back over his shoulder:

"I'll be square with you, yet, Hi Strong! You wait!"

But Hiram bad been threatened so often from that quarter by now, that he
was not much interested.

CHAPTER XXX. ONE SNOWY MIDNIGHT

The fun went on after that with more moderation, and everybody had a
pleasant time. That is, so supposed Hiram Strong until, in going out of
the barn again to get a breath of cool air after one of the dances, he
almost stumbled over a figure hiding in a corner, and crying.

"Why, Sister!" he cried, taking the girl by the shoulders, and turning
her about. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, I want to go home, Hi. This isn't any place for me. Let me--me
run--run home!" she sobbed.

"I guess not! Who's bothered you? Has that Pete Dickerson come back?"

"No!" sobbed Sister.

"What is it, then?"

"They--they don't want me here. They don't like me."

"Who don't?" demanded Hiram, sternly.

"Those--those girls from St. Beris. I--I tried to dance, and I slipped
on some of that horrid soap and--and fell down. And they said I was
clumsy. And one said:

"'Oh, all these country girls are like that. I don't see what Let wanted
them here for.'

"'So't we could all show off better,' said another, laughing some more.

"And I guess that's right enough," finished Sister. "They don't want me
here. Only to make fun of. And I wish I hadn't come."

Hiram was smitten dumb for a moment. He had danced once with Lettie, but
the other town girls had given him no opportunity to do so. And it was