cannot hope to pay it, he hands
out a flag that he wants help. In other words, it is an invitation to
his friends to organize a public ball for his benefit. It depends upon
his honesty and popularity whether or not they do so."

"That's the strangest thing I ever heard of."

"Well, if the thing goes through, a hall is rented and music is engaged,
the cost of which is to be deducted from the money taken at the door.
Then the man for whose benefit the ball is given and his wife prepare a
lot of sandwiches, fried chicken, and other eatables, and a tub or two
of lemonade, and help their profits along."

"So that is a 'rent rag,' eh? Who is the man for whom the dance is to be
given, Bud?" asked Stella.

"A feller named Martin, whose wife has been sick all summer," answered
Bud. "From what they say, I reckon he's all right. Jest ter be a good
feller I bought ten tickets, at one bean per ticket."

"Is that all they are?" asked Stella. "Only one bean? Gracious, they'll
have to dispose of an awful lot of tickets to get enough beans to sell
to pay their rent with! Why don't they make it something else? I'd like
to contribute a dollar, at least. A bean a ticket, pshaw! How awfully
cheap! I guess he doesn't owe much."

At this remark the boys fairly cackled.

"Now, what are you laughing at?" cried Stella, almost angry. "I seem to
be more humorous to-night than I ever thought possible. I can hardly say
a word but you all start to laugh at me."

This was too much for the boys. They couldn't restrain themselves and
went off into peals of laughter. When they saw the danger signals of two
bright spots in Stella's cheeks, they realized that they had gone too
far, and all hastily tried to explain. But Ted was before them, and
quietly told Stella that in the expressive, if scarcely lucid, language
of the day a "bean," in the sense in which Bud had used it, meant a
dollar.

"Such silly slang," said Stella, restored to good humor once more. "I
don't mind slang if it's clever and reveals or conceals or twists a word
in some sensible way, but a bean for a dollar--no, it won't do. The
fellow who invented that should try again. The only fun I can see in
slang is its aptness."

The boys murmured something to the effect that it wasn't a particularly
witty bit of slang, but they continued to grin at one another.

"Suppose we all go to the 'rent rag,'" said Stella suddenly. "I never
saw anything of the sort, and I'm crazy to go."

"It