Barbara's glance go from
man to picture.

"Doesn't it look like Van, Barbie?" Skeet kept up the conversation. "Got
the same ring, and all. But it ain't Van. Him's the tootsie in there
with the blue ribbon round his tummy."

"I say, Skeeter, lay off!" Vandeman looked selfconsciously from the
painted ring in the picture to the real ring on his own well kept hand
there on the mantel edge. "People aren't interested in family
histories."

"I am," said Barbara, unexpectedly. As the gong sounded and we all began
to move toward the dining room, they were still on the subject and kept
it up after we were seated.

Fong Ling served us. The bride had Worth on her right, and talked to him
in lowered tones. Barbara, between Vandeman and myself, continued to
show an almost feverish attention to Vandeman. It was plain enough from
where I sat that nothing Ina Vandeman could say gave the lad any less
interest in his plate. But I suppose with a girl, the mere fact of some
other girl being allowed to show intentions counts. Did the flapper get
what was going on, as she looked proudly across at her handiwork, and
demanded of me,

"Say, Mr. Boyne, you saw how Ina tried to do us dirt? And now, honest to
goodness, hasn't Barbie with the plum-blossoms got Ina and her
artificial flowers skun a mile?"

I didn't wonder that young Mrs. Vandeman saved me the necessity of
answering, by taking her up.

"Skeet, you're too outrageous!"

There she sat, quite a beauty in a very superior fashion; and Worth at
her side, was having his attention called to this dark young creature
across the table, whose wonderful still fire, the white blossoms
crowning her hair, might well have made even a lovelier than Ina
Vandeman look insipid. And Worth did take his time admiring her; I saw
that; but all he found to say was,

"Bobs, I suppose Jerry's told you that he's treed Clayte at Tiajuana?"

"No," said Barbara, "he hasn't said a word. But I'm just as much
surprised at Clayte's being caught as I was at Skeels escaping capture."

"Say that over and say it slow," Vandeman was good natured. "Or rather,
put it in plain American, so we all can understand."

"Mr. Boyne knows what I mean." Barbara gave me a faint smile. "Mr. Boyne
and I add up Skeels and Clayte, and get a different result. That's all."

"Bobs doesn't think that Skeels is Clayte, caught or uncaught," Worth
said briefly and went on eating his dinner. Apparently he didn't give a
hang which way