oung
gentleman's evenin' coat."

"Wha--what's that?" snorts Bobby.

"You can be usin' mine for a smokin' jacket," says I. "Peel it off now,
and let the fancy vest come along too!"

"I--I won't do it!" says Bobbie.

"Oh, yes, you will," says I, "or else you and me will be mixed up in a
rumpus that'll bring the chaperons and special cops in here on the
run," and with that I proceeds to shed the braided coat and my black
vest.

"You're insulting!" says Bobby, gettin' wild-eyed.

"G'wan!" says I. "It's a fair swap. I'll leave it to the young lady."

And when I'd sized her up for a thoroughbred I hadn't made any wild
guess. There's a twinkle under them long eyelashes that's as good as a
go-ahead signal.

"Of course," says she. "It was you who suggested him as a partner,
anyway. And hurry, Bobby, there goes the waltz!"

"I--I----" he begins.

"Ah, shuck 'em!" says I, startin' for him hasty.

I expects it was the prospects of gettin' rung into a rough and tumble,
and having to explain to mother, that changed Bobby's mind so sudden. At
any rate, inside of a minute more I'm wearin' the pearl-gray waistcoat
and the silk-faced tuxedo, and out I sails onto the shiny floor of the
green and gold ballroom with somebody's pink-costumed heiress hangin' to
my left arm.

"One-two-three; one-two-three----Now!" says she, countin' out the time
so I shouldn't make any false start.

But, say, I didn't need that. Course, I'm no cotillion leader, and about
all the dancin' I ever done was at chowder parties or in the Coney
Island halls; but who couldn't keep step to a tune like "Yip-I-Addy"
played by a twelve-piece goulash orchestra, specially with such a
crackerjack partner as Miss Vee was?

Could we spiel together? Why, say, we just floats along over the waxed
maple boards like a pair of summer butterflies, pivotin' first one way
and then the other, dodgin' in and out among the couples, and givin' an
exhibition that had any other performance on the floor lookin' like a
cripples' parade.

First it got into my heels, and then it goes to my head. I didn't know
whether I was waltzin', or havin' a joy ride with some biplane shuffer.
I wa'n't sayin' a word in the way of language; but Miss Vee keeps up a
string of chatter and giggles that's enough for both. You'd thought to
see us, I expect, that we was carryin' on a real, rapid-fire, smart-set
dialogue, when all the while it was only her tellin' me how the
diff'rent parties was a