a chance to
get away from cards for an hour or so."

"Guess you need it," says I. "You look like the trey of spades."

Then Pinckney shows up in the gym., and he no sooner sees us at work
with the basket ball than he begins to peel off. "I say there!" says
he. "Count me in on some of that, or I'll be pulled into another
rubber."

About an hour later, after they'd jollied me into stayin' all night, I
puts on a sweater and starts out for some hoof exercise in the young
blizzard that was makin' things white outside. Sadie holds me up at
the door. Her cheeks was blazin', and I could see she was holdin' the
Sullivan temper down with both hands.

"Hello!" says I. "What's been stirrin' you up?"

"Bridge!" snaps she. "I guess if you'd been glared at for two hours,
and called stupid when you lost, and worse names when you won, you'd
feel like throwing the cards at some one."

"Well, why didn't you?" says I.

"I did," says she, "and there's an awful row on; but I don't care! And
if you don't stop that grinnin', I'll----"

Well, she does it. That's the way with Sadie, words is always too slow
for her. Inside of a minute she's out chasin' me around the front yard
and peltin' me with snow balls.

"See here," says I, diggin' a hunk of snow out of one ear, "that kind
of sport's all to the merry; but if I was you I'd dress for the part.
Snowballin' in slippers and silk stockin's and a lace dress is a
pneumonia bid, even if you are such a warm one on top."

"Who's a red head?" says she. "You just wait a minute, Shorty McCabe,
and I'll make you sorry for that!"

It wa'n't a minute, it was nearer fifteen; but when Sadie shows up
again she's wearin' the slickest Canuck costume you ever see, all
blanket stripes and red tassels, like a girl on a gift calendar.

"Whe-e-e!" says she, and the snow begins to fly in chunks. It was the
damp, packy kind that used to make us go out and soak the tall hats
when we was kids. And Sadie hasn't forgot how to lam 'em in, either.
We was havin' it hot and lively, all over the lawn, when the first
thing I knows out comes Mrs. Purdy Pell and Pinckney and a lot of
others, to join in the muss. They'd dragged out a whole raft of
toboggan outfits from the attic, and the minute they gets 'em on they
begins to act as coltish as two-year-olds.

Well say, you wouldn't have thought high rollers like them, that gets
their fun out of playin' the glass works exhibit at the op'ra, and
eatin'