. The girls
were really pretty, and were not made up in the least. Their "turn" had
a great success. Mrs. Sieppe was entranced. Instantly she remembered her
girlhood and her native Swiss village.

"Ach, dot is heavunly; joost like der old country. Mein gran'mutter used
to be one of der mos' famous yodlers. When I was leedle, I haf seen dem
joost like dat."

"Ma-ah," began Owgooste fretfully, as soon as the yodlers had departed.
He could not keep still an instant; he twisted from side to side,
swinging his legs with incredible swiftness.

"Ma-ah, I want to go ho-ome."

"Pehave!" exclaimed his mother, shaking him by the arm; "loog, der
leedle girl is watchun you. Dis is der last dime I take you to der blay,
you see."

"I don't ca-are; I'm sleepy." At length, to their great relief, he went
to sleep, his head against his mother's arm.

The kinetoscope fairly took their breaths away.

"What will they do next?" observed Trina, in amazement. "Ain't that
wonderful, Mac?"

McTeague was awe-struck.

"Look at that horse move his head," he cried excitedly, quite carried
away. "Look at that cable car coming--and the man going across the
street. See, here comes a truck. Well, I never in all my life! What
would Marcus say to this?"

"It's all a drick!" exclaimed Mrs. Sieppe, with sudden conviction. "I
ain't no fool; dot's nothun but a drick."

"Well, of course, mamma," exclaimed Trina, "it's----"

But Mrs. Sieppe put her head in the air.

"I'm too old to be fooled," she persisted. "It's a drick." Nothing more
could be got out of her than this.

The party stayed to the very end of the show, though the kinetoscope was
the last number but one on the programme, and fully half the audience
left immediately afterward. However, while the unfortunate Irish
comedian went through his "act" to the backs of the departing people,
Mrs. Sieppe woke Owgooste, very cross and sleepy, and began getting
her "things together." As soon as he was awake Owgooste began fidgeting
again.

"Save der brogramme, Trina," whispered Mrs. Sieppe. "Take ut home to
popper. Where is der hat of Owgooste? Haf you got mein handkerchief,
Trina?"

But at this moment a dreadful accident happened to Owgooste; his
distress reached its climax; his fortitude collapsed. What a misery!
It was a veritable catastrophe, deplorable, lamentable, a thing beyond
words! For a moment he gazed wildly about him, helpless and petrified
with astonishment and terror. Then h