or swayed and groaned,
and the building fairly rocked under the rhythmic assault of more than
twenty pairs of stamping, shuffling feet. A smoking oil lamp supplied a
dull, smoky haze so that it was difficult for friends to recognize each
other from opposite ends of the room. All eyes, including those of the
dancers, had been turned to the newcomers as the Overlanders filed in
and took seats on benches at one side of the room.

It was but a few moments later when Hippy and Nora swung out on the
floor and Hippy was soon raising the dust with the best of them.

He then danced with each of the girls of his party in turn. Grace,
watching the unusual scene with keen interest, observed that there was
little or no change of partners. Each young mountaineer danced with the
same girl most of the time, and she concluded that this was the custom
up there in the mountains.

At the end of the first dance after their arrival, Grace called Emma
over to her.

"I brought two boxes of candy with me, Emma," she whispered. "There is
one box left at the camp and I wish to give that to the Thompson
children. Do you wish to pass these two boxes around to the mountain
girls?"

Emma was delighted. It gave her an opportunity to place herself in a
more prominent position than she had occupied on a bench at the side of
the schoolroom.

At first the mountain girls were shy, but they soon overcame their
diffidence and helped themselves liberally--by the handful--to sweets
such as few of them ever had tasted.

"This is Mrs. Gray's treat," explained Emma to each girl.

"Don't Ah git any?" teased the young mountaineer who had assisted
Washington through the window.

"Yes. You get left," came back Emma spiritedly.

"Ah never gits left," he retorted, springing up and grabbing the little
Overland girl.

In a few seconds they were swinging around the room in a waltz, Emma's
face flushed and triumphant, the face of the partner of the man she was
dancing with growing blacker with the moments. The mountaineer would not
release Emma until she had danced two dances with him, and by that time
the girl he had brought to the party refused even to look at him.

Emma made her unsought partner introduce her to other boys, and with
smiles and teasing she won many partners, until the room was bordered
with a ring of blazing and snapping eyes, all resentful at her success
in winning their escorts.

Grace tried to catch her eye to warn her, but Emma studi