now? The good old Dove of Peace flapping its little wings fairly briskly
and all that?"

"Oh, I guess everything's nice and smooth just now. I seen m' girl
friend yesterday, and Gus was taking her to the movies last night, so I
guess everything's nice and smooth."

Archie breathed a sigh of relief.

"Took her to the movies, did he? Stout fellow!"

"I was at the funniest picture last week," said the cigar-stand girl.
"Honest, it was a scream! It was like this--"

Archie listened politely; then went in to get a bite of lunch. His
equanimity, shaken by the discovery of the rift in the peerless one's
armour, was restored. Good old Biddle had taken the girl to the movies
last night. Probably he had squeezed her hand a goodish bit in the dark.
With what result? Why, the fellow would be feeling like one of those
chappies who used to joust for the smiles of females in the Middle Ages.
What he meant to say, presumably the girl would be at the game this
afternoon, whooping him on, and good old Biddle would be so full of
beans and buck that there would be no holding him.

Encouraged by these thoughts, Archie lunched with an untroubled mind.
Luncheon concluded, he proceeded to the lobby to buy back his hat and
stick from the boy brigand with whom he had left them. It was while he
was conducting this financial operation that he observed that at the
cigar-stand, which adjoined the coat-and-hat alcove, his friend behind
the counter had become engaged in conversation with another girl.

This was a determined looking young woman in a blue dress and a large
hat of a bold and flowery species, Archie happening to attract her
attention, she gave him a glance out of a pair of fine brown eyes, then,
as if she did not think much of him, turned to her companion and resumed
their conversation--which, being of an essentially private and intimate
nature, she conducted, after the manner of her kind, in a ringing
soprano which penetrated into every corner of the lobby. Archie,
waiting while the brigand reluctantly made change for a dollar bill, was
privileged to hear every word.

"Right from the start I seen he was in a ugly mood. YOU know how he
gets, dearie! Chewing his upper lip and looking at you as if you were
so much dirt beneath his feet! How was _I_ to know he'd lost fifteen
dollars fifty-five playing poker, and anyway, I don't see where he gets
a licence to work off his grouches on me. And I told him so. I said to
him, 'Gus,' I sai