upon her words. "You're no better'n that road agent Ramerrez,
an'--"

"But, Miss--" interrupted the man.

"Miss nothin'!" snapped back the Girl, tugging away at the slippers; in
desperation once more she ordered:

"Wowkle, close the winder! Close the winder!"

The Sidney Duck glowered at her. He had expected her intercession on his
behalf and could not understand this new attitude of hers toward him.

"Public 'ouse jide!" he retorted furiously, and slammed the window.

"Ugh!" snarled Wowkle, resentfully, her eyes full of fire.

Now at any other time, The Sidney Duck would have been made to pay
dearly for his words, but either the Girl did not hear him, or if she
did she was too engrossed to heed them; at any rate, the remark passed
unnoticed.

"I got it on!" presently exclaimed the Girl in great joy. Nevertheless,
it was not without several ouches and moans that, finally, she stood
upon her feet. "Say, Wowkle, how do you think he'll like 'em? How do
they look? They feel awful!" she rattled on with a pained look on her
face.

But whatever would have been the Indian woman's observation on the
subject of tight shoes in general and those of her mistress in
particular, she was not permitted to make it, for the Girl, now hobbling
over towards the bureau, went on to announce with sudden determination:

"Say, Wowkle, I'm a-goin' the whole hog! Yes, I'm a-goin' the whole
hog," she repeated a moment later, as she drew forth various bits of
finery from a chest of drawers, with which she proceeded to adorn
herself before the mirror. Taking out first a lace shawl of bold design,
she drew it over her shoulders with the grace and ease of one who makes
it an everyday affair rather than an occasional undertaking; then she
took from a sweet-grass basket a vividly-embroidered handkerchief and
saturated it with cologne, impregnating the whole room with its strong
odour; finally she brought forth a pair of long, white gloves and began
to stretch them on. "Does it look like an effort, Wowkle?" she asked,
trying to get her hands into them.

"Ugh!" was the Indian woman's comment at the very moment that a knock
came upon the door. "Two plates," she added with a groan, and started
for the cupboard.

Meanwhile the Girl continued with her primping and preening, her hands
flying back and forth like an automaton from her waist-line to her
stockings. Suddenly another knock, this time more vigorous, more
insistent, came upon the rough b