s in the rainbow,
which he had purchased for the occasion from the cook at the camp, who
had inherited it from an uncle that had died twenty years before. And
from this same youth, who was too bashful to go to the dance himself, he
obtained the loan of a pair of embroidered slippers which had been sent
to him by a sister in the Far West. Wetherbee wore an ordinary cloth
suit, made by a city tailor, and was by far the best-dressed and most
gentlemanly-looking man in the room.

When Drusy appeared upon the scene he was dancing the first dance with
Henrietta Blaisdell. He tossed her one of his pleasant smiles as he
whirled breathlessly past, and her eyes followed him with a look which
poor Barker would have given worlds to interpret as he stood sad and
humble in all his unwonted magnificence by her side. The fiddler, who
was a tin-peddler and a poet and the teacher of a "cipherin'-school," as
well as a musician, played with great gusto, and was continually calling
upon the dancers to "warm up 'n' shake their heels more lively."

"Here, you Joe, you're quick enough at figgers, but you don't handle
them moggersons o' yourn in no kind er time," he shouted to a clumsy
lumberman, whose partner, a stout, energetic young woman, was scarlet in
the face with her exertions to drag him about to the fierce time of the
music.

Drusy laughed. "I don't care about that kind of dancing," said she.
"It's a reg'lar whirlwind."

"I was a-goin' ter ask ye ter dance 'long o' me, Drusy, only I was 'most
afeard tew, fur I knowed I shouldn't keep step," said Barker timidly.
"Reube seems ter be a-keepin' his balance fust-rate, but I hain't built
so genteel es he is, nor hed the experiunce, neither." And he sighed
deeply.

"I ain't going to dance at all, John. I'd much rather look on. I think
it's real fun to see 'em scramble about."

He brightened at this, but soon became a prey to melancholy again, for
as soon as the dance was over a crowd of men pressed to Drusy's side.
Not even Henrietta Blaisdell or the pretty schoolmistress received half
as much attention. The fact of her being a "hired girl" at the "tahvern"
rather added to than detracted from her social importance, and there was
a charm about her gay, gracious manner and bright beauty which was
irresistible.

"Reube seems ter be tryin' tew make up with Henrietty ag'in," whispered
one of the lumbermen to his sweetheart. "He's been kinder strayin' off
in the direction of the tahvern l