especially to that girl's brother.

"Daren, I promised I'd tell you all about myself," she said.

"I shouldn't have asked you to give away one of your friends," he
returned. "Some other time I'll talk to you about Lorna. Tell you what
I know, and ask you to help me save her----"

"_Save_ her! What do you mean, Daren?" she interrupted, with surprise.

"Bessy, I've paid you the compliment of believing you have
intelligence. Hasn't it occurred to you that Lorna--or other of her
friends or yours--might be going straight to ruin?"

"Ruin! No, that hadn't occurred to me. I heard Doctor Wallace make a
crack like yours. Mother hauled me to church the Sunday after you
broke up Fanchon Smith's dance. Doctor Wallace didn't impress me.
These old people make me sick anyhow. They don't understand.... But
Daren, I think I get your drift. So snow some more."

All in a moment, it seemed to Lane, this girl passed from surprise to
gravity, then to contempt, and finally to humor. She was fascinating.

"To go back to the club," resumed Lane. "Bessy, what did you do
there?"

"Oh, we toddled and shimmied. Cut up! Had an immense time, I'll say."

"What do you mean by cut up?"

"Why, we just ran wild, you know. Fool stunts!... Once Roy was sore
because I kicked cigarettes out of Bob's mouth. But the boob was
tickled stiff when I kicked for _him_. Jealous! It's all right with
any one of the boys what you do for _him_. But if you do the same for
_another_ boy--good night!"

Bessy had no divination of the fact that her words for Lane had a
clarifying significance.

"I suppose you played what we used to call kissing games?" queried
Lane.

A sweet, high trill of laughter escaped Bessy's red lips.

"Daren, you are funny. Those games are as dead as Caesar.... This
bunch of boys and girls paired off by themselves to spoon.... As for
myself, I don't mind spooning if I like the fellow--and he hasn't been
drinking. But otherwise I hate it. All the same I got what was coming
to me from some of the boys of the Strong Arm Club."

"Why do they give it that name?" asked Lane, remembering Colonel
Pepper's remarks.

"Why, if a girl doesn't come across she gets the strong arm.... I had
to fight like the devil that last afternoon I went there."

"_Did_ you fight, Bessy?"

"I'll say I did.... Roy Vancey is sore as a pup. He hasn't been near
me or called me up since."

"Bessy, will you promise to stay away from that place--and not to go
joy-