domino; red's my color."

"A red one? Gee! Looka; mine's got black pompons on it. Five minutes,
Charley; five minutes!"

Flags of all nations and all sizes made a galaxy of the Sixth Avenue
hall. An orchestra played beneath an arch of them. Supper, consisting
of three-inch-thick sandwiches, tamales, steaming and smelling in their
buckets, bottles of beer and soda water, was spread on a long picnic
table running the entire length of the balcony.

The main floor, big as an armory, airless as a tomb, swarmed with
dancers.

After supper a red sateen Pierrette, quivering, teeth flashing beneath
a saucy half mask, bowed to a sateen Pierrot, whose face was as slim as
a satyr's and whose smile was as upturned as the eye slits in his mask.

"Gee, Charley, you look just like a devil in that costume--all red, and
your mouth squinted like that!"

"And you look just like a little red cherry, ready to bust."

And they were off in the whirl of the dance, except that the
close-packed dancers hemmed them in a swaying mob; and once she fell
back against his shoulder, faint.

"Ain't there a--a upstairs somewheres, Charley, where they got air? All
this jam and no windows open! Gee ain't it hot? Let's go outside where
it's cool--let's."

"There you go again! No wonder you got a cold on you--always wanting air
on you! Come, Sweetness; this ain't hot. Here, lemme show you the dip I
get the girls crazy with. One, two, three--dip! One, two, three--dip!
Ugh!"

"Gee, ain't it a jam, though?"

"One, two, three!"

"That's swell, Charley! Quit! You mustn't squeeze me like that
till--till you've asked me to be engaged, Charley. We--we ain't engaged
yet, are we, Charley?"

"Aw, what difference does that make? You girls make me sick--always
wanting to know that."

"It--it makes a lot of difference, Charley."

"There you go on that Amen talk again. All right, then; I won't squeeze
you no more, Stingy!"

Her step was suddenly less elastic and she lagged on his arm.

"I--I never said you, couldn't, Charley. Gee, ain't you a great one to
get mad so quick. Touchy! I only said not till we're engaged."

He skirted the crowd, guiding her skillfully.

"Stingy! Stingy! I know 'em that ain't so stingy as you."

"Charley!"

"What?"

"Aw, I'm ashamed to say it."

"Listen! They're playin' the new one--Up to Snuff! Faster! Don't make me
drag you, kiddo. Faster!"

They were suddenly in the center of the maze, as tight-packed as though