ted pranks, than a roomful of Billie Burkes. As
cunnin' as a kitten, she was.

No wonder Nick Talbot fell for her the first time he was exposed!
Course, he was half engaged to that stunnin' Miss Marian Marlowe at the
time; but wa'n't Robbie waverin' between three young chaps that all
seemed to be in the runnin' before Nick showed up?

Anyway, Miss Marlowe should have known better than to lug in her steady
when she was visitin'. She'd been chummy with Robbie at boardin'
school, and should have known how dangerous she was. But young Mr.
Talbot had only two looks before he's as strong for Robbie as though it
had been comin' on for years back. Impetuous young gent that way he
was too; and, bein' handicapped by no job, and long on time and money,
he does some spirited rushin'.

Seems Robbie Ballard didn't mind. Excitement was her middle name,
novelty was her strong suit, and among Nick's other attractions he was
brand new. Besides, wa'n't he a swell one-stepper, a shark at tennis,
and couldn't he sing any ragtime song that she could drum out? The
ninety-horse striped racin' car that he came callin' in helped along
some; for one of Robbie's fads was for travelin' fast. Course, she'd
been brought up in limousines; but the mile in fifty seconds gave her a
genuine thrill.

When it come to holdin' out her finger for the big solitaire that Nick
flashed on her about the third week, though, she hung back. The others
carried about the same line of jew'lry around in their vest pockets,
waitin' for a chance to decorate her third finger. One had the
loveliest gray eyes too. Then there was another entry, with the
dearest little mustache, who was a bear at doin' the fish-walk tango
with her; not to mention the young civil engineer she'd met last winter
at Palm Beach. But he didn't actually count, not bein' on the scene.

Anyway, three was enough to keep guessin' at once. Robbie was real
modest that way. But she sure did have 'em all busy. If it was a
sixty-mile drive with Nick before luncheon, it was apt to be an
afternoon romp in the surf with the gray-eyed one, and a toss up as to
which of the trio took her to the Casino dance in the evenin'. Mother
used to laugh over it all with Mr. Robert, who remarked that those kids
were absurd. Nobody seemed to take it serious; for Robbie was only a
few months over nineteen.

But young Mr. Talbot had it bad. Besides, he'd always got about what
he wanted before, and this tim