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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
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