hought of it that way. But I guess you are right. Now, now, Janice,
what had we better do? Hear the noise?"

"What kind of dance is it?" asked Janice, in disgust. "I should think
that it was a sailor's dance hall, or a lumber camp dance. I have
heard of such things."

"It's going a little too strong for Lem Parraday himself to-night, I
guess. Marm shuts herself in their room upstairs, I understand, and
reads her Bible and prays."

"Poor woman!"

"She's of the salt of the earth," said Bowman warmly. "But she can't
help herself. Lem would do it. The Inn did not pay. And it is paying
now. At least, he says it is."

"It won't pay them in the end if this keeps up," said Janice, listening
to the stamping and the laughter and the harsh sounds of violins and
piano. "Surely Hopewell isn't making _all_ that--that music?"

"I'll go in and see. I shouldn't wonder if he was not playing at all
now. Maybe one of the boys has got his fiddle."

"Oh, no! He'd never let that precious violin out of his own hands,
would he?" queried Janice. "Why! do you know, Frank, I believe that is
quite a valuable instrument."

"I don't know. But when I started uptown one of the visitors was
teasing to get hold of the violin. I don't know the man. He is a
stranger--a black-haired, foxy-looking chap. Although, by good rights,
I suppose a 'foxy-looking' person should be red-haired, eh?"

Janice, however, was not splitting hairs. She said quickly: "Do go in;
Frank, and see what Hopewell is about."

"How'll I get him out?"

"Tell him I want to see him. He'll think something has happened to
'Rill or Lottie. I don't care if he is scared. It may do him good."

"I'll go around by the barroom door," said the young engineer, for they
had come to the front entrance of the hotel.

Lights were blazing all over the lower floor of the sprawling building;
but from the left of the front door came the sound of dancing. Some of
the windows were open and the shades were up. Janice, standing in the
darkness of the porch, could see the dancers passing back and forth
before the windows.

By the appearance of those she saw, she judged that the girls and women
were mostly of the mill-hand class, and were from Middletown and
Millhampton. She knew the men of the party were of the same class.
The tavern yard was full of all manner of vehicles, including huge
party wagons which carried two dozen passengers or more. There was a
big crowd.