t ain't Ernie's plan at all. He has
his mouth all set for an oyster stew and a plate of crullers down in the
Arcade beanerie.

"Ah, forget your old automatic habits for once," says I. "This dinner is
on the house, you know, so why not make it a reg'lar one? Come along."

And for a wonder I persuades him to do it. I expect this idea of
chargin' it on the expense account hadn't occurred to him.

Anyway, that's how it come we were piking through West Forty-fifth
Street with the first of the theater crowds, Ernie still protestin' that
he really didn't care for this sort of thing--cabaret stunts and all
that--and me kiddin' him along as usual, sayin' I'll bet the head waiter
would call him by his first name, when the net is cast sudden over
Ernie's head.

I don't know which one of us saw her first. All I'm sure of is that we
both sort of slowed up and did the gawp act. You could hardly blame us,
for here in a taxi by the curb is--Well, it would take Robert Chambers a
page and a half at twenty cents a word to do her full justice, so I'll
just say she was a lovely lady.

No, I ain't gettin' her mixed with any of Mr. Ziegfeld's stars, nor she
ain't any broker's bride plucked from the switch-board. She's the real
thing in the lady line, though how I knew it's hard to tell. Also she's
a home-grown siren that works without the aid of a lip-stick, permanent
wave, or an eyebrow pencil. Anyway, here she is leaning through the taxi
door and shootin' over the alluring smile.

I couldn't quite believe it was meant for either of us until I'd scouted
around to see if there wasn't someone else in line. No, there wasn't.
And as Ernie is nearest, course I knows it's for him.

"Ah, ha!" says I. "Who's your friend with the golden tresses?"

That's what they were, all right. You don't see hair like that every
day, and it ain't the shade which can be produced at a beauty parlor.
It's the 18-karat kind, done up sort of loose and careless, but all the
more dangerous for that. And with that snowy white complexion, except
for the pink flush on the cheeks, and the big, starry blue eyes, she
sure is a stunner.

"Do--do you think she means me?" whispers Ernie husky, as we stop in our
tracks.

"Ah come!" says I. "This is no time to stall. If she hadn't spotted you
direct you might have let on you didn't see her, and strolled back
after you'd given me the slip. As it is, Ernie, I've got the goods on
you for once and you might as well----"