t it was the way
well-groomed men dressed for evening in the big cities.

"Say, pard," said a cowboy to Jack, as he crossed the room, "I axes yer
pardon fer buttin' in, but yer lost ther front part o' yer coat tails."

"That's all right," answered Jack. "Can't help it, don't you know. I
left the blooming coat hanging on the line at home to air, and a goat
came along and ate the front half of the tails off before I could get to
it. I was just on my way to apologize to the master of ceremonies for
it. You see, it is the only coat I have, and I was bound to come to the
ball."

"Ha, ha! that's on you, 'Honk,'" laughed the cowboy's friends, who had
overheard the conversation, and Jack passed on, the boys alluding to him
as a "game little shrimp," for the news of his summary punishment of
Creviss had got abroad.

But Jack was not through yet. He went into the men's dressing room to
leave his hat. As he was coming out he was met by a crowd of town
youths, friends of Creviss. There was no one else about.

They scowled and sneered at Jack, and one of them bumped into him.

"Heah, fellah, that will do," said Jack, with his Bostonese drawl.
"You're solid; you're no sponge."

"I ain't, eh?" answered the bully. "I'll tell yer, Mr. Slate, you're
covered with bad marks what I don't like, an' I'm just the sponge to
wipe them off."

"Step lively, then," said Jack, "for I've an engagement to dance the
next waltz."

"I'll waltz you all you'll need this evenin'."

But before he had finished speaking Ben Tremont stepped around the
corner.

"Hello, Jack! What is this I see?" said Ben. "Disgracing yourself by
talking with these hoodlums."

"Yas, deah boy," drawled Jack. "This--er, what shall I call
him?--stopped me to tell me he was going to rub the marks off me, at the
same time wittily making a pun on my name. I was just telling him to
hurry, or I'd miss the next waltz."

"Well, I'll take the job off your hands. Stella was asking for you a
moment ago."

"Yes, run along to your Stella," said the hoodlum. "I reckon she's
pining for the sassiety o' another dude."

That was where he made the mistake of his life.

It didn't really make much difference what these fellows said about
themselves, but the boys would not permit Stella's name to be bandied
about by the roughs.

So swiftly, that they didn't know what had happened to them, both Ben
and Jack sailed into them.

They went sprawling like tenpins before the ball as Be