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excitement and joy of the hour, and in the certainty that she was now a long way from Missouri. Jones demanded rather than begged for another dance, and, although she laughingly explained her predicament in regard to partners, he said he would come after her anyhow.
    Then followed several dances with new partners, between which Jane became more than ever the center of attraction. It all went to her head like wine. She was having a perfectly wonderful time. Jones claimed her again, in fact whirled her out on the floor, and it seemed then that the irresistible rush of the dancers was similar to her sensations. Twice again before the supper hour at midnight she found herself dancing with Jones. How he managed it she did not know. He just took her, carried her off by storm. Jane did not awaken to this unpardonable conduct of hers until she discovered that a little while before she had promised Tex his second dance, and then she had given it to Jones, or at least had danced it with him. What could she do when he walked right off with her? It was a glimpse of Tex’s face, as she was being whirled round in Jones’s arms, that filled Jane with remorse.
    Then came the supper hour. It was a gala occasion, for which evidently the children had heroically kept awake. Jane enjoyed the children immensely. She sat with the numerous Hartwells, all of whom were most kindly attentive to her. Jane wonderedwhy Mr. Springer did not put in an appearance, but considered his absence due to numerous duties.
    When the supper hour ended and the people were stirring about the hall, and the men were tuning up, Jane caught sight of Andy. He looked rather pale and sick. Jane tried to catch his eye, but failing that she went to him.
    “Andy, please find Tex for me. I owe him a dance, and I’ll give him the very first, unless Mister Springer comes for it.”
    Andy regarded her with an aloofness totally new to her.
    “Wal, I’ll tell him. But I reckon Tex ain’t presentable just now. All of us are through dancin’ tonight.”
    “What’s happened?” queried Jane, swift to divine trouble.
    “There’s been a little fight.”
    “Oh, no!” cried Jane. “Who? What?…Andy, tell me.”
    “Wal, when you cut Tex’s dance for Beady Jones, you sure put our outfit in bad,” replied Andy coldly. “At thet there wouldn’t have been anythin’ come of it here if Beady Jones hadn’t got to shootin’ off his chin. Tex slapped his face an’ thet sure started a fight. Beady licked Tex, too, I’m sorry to say. He’s a pretty bad customer, Beady is, an’ he’s bigger’n Tex. Wal, we had a hell of a time keepin’ Nevada out of it. Thet would have been a uneven fight. I’d like to have seen it. But we kept them apart till Springer come out. An’ what the boss said to thet outfit was sure aplenty. Beady Jones kept talkin’ back, nasty like…you know he was once foreman for us…till Springer got good an’ mad. An’ he said…‘Jones, I fired you once because you was a little too slick for our outfit, an’ I’ll tell you this, if it comes to a pinch,I’ll give you the damnedest thrashin’ any smart-aleck cowboy ever got!’ Gee, the boss was riled. It sort of surprised me, an’ tickled me pink. You can bet that shut Beady Jones’s loud mouth.”
    After that rather lengthy speech Andy left her unceremoniously standing there alone. She was not alone long, but it was long enough for her to feel bitter dissatisfaction with herself.
    Jane looked for Springer, hoping yet fearing he would come to her. But he did not. She had another uninterrupted dizzy round of dancing until her strength failed. At four o’clock she was scarcely able to walk. Her pretty dress was torn and mussed; her white stockings were no longer white; her slippers were worn ragged. And her feet were dead. From that time she sat with Mrs. Hartwell looking on, and trying to keep awake. The wonderful dance, that had begun so promisingly, had ended sadly for her.
    At length the