sented Mr. Vandeford, with a
suppressed smile at the diversity of amusements his charge had planned
in her sallies from the Y. W. C. A. "You see, it is both the duty and
the pleasure of a producer of a play to see that his author has a good
time while in the city." It was a surprise to Mr. Vandeford to find
himself thus stating the case inversely.

"Oh, but I mean to work hard to help with 'The Purple Slipper,' so I'll
be too tired to bother you much to take me places. And I know how hard
you work, so don't have me on your mind, will you, please, sir?" The
lifted curl of the black lashes and the reverential note in the soft,
slurring, Blue-grass voice almost upset the staid deference with which
Mr. Vandeford was conversing with the author of his new Hawtry play.

"Oh, play producing isn't so hard on the producer and the author, so
we'll have lots of time to frolic," he hastened to assure her, though an
uneasy little pang shot into his heart as he thought of just what befell
the average author at the rehearsals of his or her play, and he took an
additional vow of protection. "Shall I come to take you to dinner and to
a show to-night?"

"Oh, I'd love it," she answered, and again the color came up under the
gray eyes. "It would be wonderful to have you show me Broadway the first
time. I could never forget that."

Then a thought delivered a blow that laid the producer of "The Purple
Slipper" low. The afternoon was half gone, and there were dozens of
wires that he must manipulate since he had had a change of--heart,
concerning "The Purple Slipper," and dinner-time and evening were the
only hours that some of the most important could be found.

"Oh, but I can't ask you to do that," he exclaimed, and for almost the
first time since the day of his graduation he felt color rise up under
his own tanned cheeks. "I have to see the stage director and a lot more
people about some things connected with your play. Still, I can't bear
to have anybody else get that first night on Broadway away from me. I
think it is due me." Being herself entirely sincere, Patricia recognized
the utter sincerity of the distress in the voice of her producer where
any other woman would have been doubtful of the ready excuse coming
immediately after the invitation.

"Then I'll just go to bed early and rest up from the trip, so that I can
go with you whenever you get the time to take me. You are working for us
both about the play, and if you had rather