d her
to leave her partner and accompany him.

"By-by, Rus," she called to her partner. "This old camel's got me.
Where we going, Prince of Beasts?"

The noble animal made no rejoinder, but stalked gravely along in the
direction of a secluded nook on the side stairs.

There she seated herself, and the camel, after some seconds of
confusion which included gruff orders and sounds of a heated dispute
going on in his interior, placed himself beside her--his hind legs
stretching out uncomfortably across two steps.

"Well, old egg," said Betty cheerfully, "how do you like our happy
party?"

The old egg indicated that he liked it by rolling his head
ecstatically and executing a gleeful kick with his hoofs.

"This is the first time that I ever had a tete-a-tete with a man's
valet 'round"--she pointed to the hind legs--"or whatever that is."

"Oh," mumbled Perry, "he's deaf and blind."

"I should think you'd feel rather handicapped--you can't very well
toddle, even if you want to."

The camel hang his head lugubriously.

"I wish you'd say something," continued Betty sweetly. "Say you like
me, camel. Say you think I'm beautiful. Say you'd like to belong to a
pretty snake-charmer."

The camel would.

"Will you dance with me, camel?"

The camel would try.

Betty devoted half an hour to the camel. She devoted at least half an
hour to all visiting men. It was usually sufficient. When she
approached a new man the current debutantes were accustomed to scatter
right and left like a close column deploying before a machine-gun. And
so to Perry Parkhurst was awarded the unique privilege of seeing his
love as others saw her. He was flirted with violently!

IV

This paradise of frail foundation was broken into by the sounds of a
general ingress to the ballroom; the cotillion was beginning. Betty
and the camel joined the crowd, her brown hand resting lightly on his
shoulder, defiantly symbolizing her complete adoption of him.

When they entered the couples were already seating themselves at
tables round the walls, and Mrs. Townsend, resplendent as a super
bareback rider with rather too rotund calves, was standing in the
centre with the ringmaster in charge of arrangements. At a signal to
the band every one rose and began to dance.

"Isn't it just slick!" sighed Betty. "Do you think you can possibly
dance?"

Perry nodded enthusiastically. He felt suddenly exuberant. After all,
he was here incognito talking to his l