Course," says Maggie, "you got a feller, and all that."

"Humph!" says Nellie.

"And there's no tellin'," Maggie goes on, glancin' at her critical, "if
your figure would suit."

"If they can stand for yours," says Nellie, "I guess I'll take a chance
too. Come on. We'll take the early morning boat."

And they did. Ira didn't get the details until about a month later,
when who should drift back to the Mansion House but Maggie. Along with
two or three hundred other brunettes and imitation blondes, she'd been
shuffled into the discard. But Nellie had been signed up first rattle
out of the box, and accordin' to the one postcard that had come back
from her since she was now flaggin' as Maizie Latour. But no word at
all had come to Ira.

"If I'd only bought that ring sooner!" he sighs. "I've got it now,
though. Bought it in Portland on my way down. See?" and he snaps open
a white satin box, disclosin' a cute little pearl set in a circle of
chip diamonds.

"That's real dainty and classy," says I.

"Ought to be," says Ira. "It cost me seventeen-fifty. But there's so
blamed much to this place that I don't see just how I'm goin' to find
her, after all."

"Ah, cheer up, Ira!" says I. "You've got me int'rested, you have, and,
while I ain't any theatrical directory, I expect I could think up some
way to---- Why, sure! There's a Tyson stand up here a few blocks,
where they have all the casts and programmes. Let's go have a look."

It wa'n't a long hunt, either. The third one we looked at was "Whoops,
Angelina!" and halfway down the list of characters we finds this item:
"Sunflower Girls--Tessie Trelawney, Mae Collins, Maizie Latour----"

"Here we are!" says I. "And there's just time to get in for the first
curtain."

Say, I expect you've seen this "Whoops, Angelina!" thing. Just punk
enough to run a year on Broadway, ain't if? And do you remember there
along towards the end of the first spasm where they ring in that "Field
Flowers Fair" song, with a deep stage and a diff'rent chorus for each
verse? Well, as the Sunflowers come on, did you notice special the
second one from the right end? That's Maizie.

And, believe me, she's some queen! Course, it's a bunch of swell
lookers all around, or they wouldn't be havin' the S.R.O. sign out so
often; but got up the way she was, with all them yellow petals makin' a
sort of frame for her, and them big dark eyes rollin' bold and sassy,
this ex-table girl from