u'll get along all right."

Elfie rose, and, going to the mirror, gave her hat and hair a few deft
little touches, after which she surveyed herself critically. With
serene self-satisfaction, she said:

"Oh, that's a cinch! But I like to leave well enough alone, and if I
had to make a change right now it would require a whole lot of thought
and attention, to say nothing of the inconvenience, and I'm so nicely
settled in my flat." Suddenly her eye lighted on the pianola. Going to
it, she exclaimed: "Say, dearie, when did you get the piano-player? I
got one of them phonographs, but this has got that beat a city block.
How does it work? What did it cost?"

"I don't know," laughed Laura.

"Well, Jerry's got to stake me to one of these." Looking over the rolls
on top, she mumbled to herself: "Tannhauser, William Tell, Chopin."
Louder, she said: "Listen, dear. Ain't you got anything else except all
this high-brow stuff?"

"What do you want?"

"Oh, something with a regular tune to it." Looking at the empty box on
the pianola, she exclaimed: "Oh, here's one; just watch me tear this
off."

The roll was the ragtime tune of "_Bon-Bon Buddy--My Chocolate Drop_."
She started to play. Pushing wide open the _tempo_ lever she worked the
pedals with the ingenuous delight and enthusiasm of a child.

"Ain't it grand?" she cried.

"Gracious, Elfie, don't play so loud!" exclaimed Laura, who reentered.
"What's the matter?"

Her visitor stopped playing. Smiling, she explained:

"I shoved over that thing marked 'swell.' I sure will have to speak to
Jerry about this. I'm stuck on this 'swell' thing. Hurry up!" Noticing
Laura's white, anxious-looking face, she exclaimed sympathetically:
"Gee! you look pale! I'll just bet you and Will had a fight. He always
gets the best of you, doesn't he, dearie? Listen. Don't you think you
can ever get him trained? I almost threw Jerry down the stairs the
other night, and he came right back with a lot of American beauties and
a cheque. I told him if he didn't look out, I'd throw him downstairs
every night. He's getting too d----d independent, and it's got me
nervous." Sinking into a seat, she exclaimed, with a sigh: "Oh, dear, I
s'pose I will have to go back on the stage."

"In the chorus?" inquired Laura quietly.

Elfie looked up in mock indignation.

"Well, I should say not. I'm going to give up my musical career.
Charlie Burgess is putting on a new play, and he says he has a part in
it for