'n nine o'clock now, and--"

"Oh, I see," said Henley. "Why, Dixie, I sort o' mapped it out this way.
You see, knowing how anxious Long will be to meet you right off, I
thought we'd drive straight to his shebang and 'light and hitch. He's
got a chair or two in the back-end of his shack, and we could kind o'
set about, and when he ain't waiting on customers, why, we--"

"I thought you had more sense than that," Dixie burst out with
unexpected warmth. "_You_ can go there if you like, but I won't go a
step! Huh, I say--I _would_ cut a purty dash, wouldn't I?--setting
around amongst chicken-coops, lard-cans, and salt pork for a fool, vain
man to look me over and sniff and feel set back because I didn't happen
to--to come quite up--shucks! I don't believe any of you men understand
women. Huh! but we understand _you_ all right."

"I'm awfully sorry I made you mad," Henley stammered. "You know, Dixie,
I wouldn't say a thing for worlds that would--"

Dixie laughed. "You couldn't make me mad at you to save your life,
Alfred. I'm mad at myself, that's all, for starting out on such a silly
jaunt. I might have knowed that it would be hard to put this thing
through in any decent shape. I don't care what Long'll say or think. I
come over here to this tournament with you, at your invite, and if he
shows by a single bat of the eye that he thinks I meant anything else
he'll hear something that will ring in his ears till he's put under
ground. I reckon the idea never got within a mile of his brain that he
may not suit _me_ at all. Why, I may hate the very sight of him."

"You no doubt will if you keep on looking at the thing that way," said
Henley, admiring the very mystery that cloaked her words and manner, and
quite convinced that she was wiser, in some vague way, at least, than
all the rest of mankind put together. "I only thought that would be the
best way to start the ball rolling."

"Well, it won't start at all if I have to tote it to the top of a hill
and give it the first kick," Dixie said, firmly. "I'm a big fool. I'll
bet you haven't a bit of respect for me. That other racket of mine was
enough to brand me as the champion woman idiot of the earth, and this
goes that one better. What's the use o' being a fool if you don't learn
sense by it?"

"Oh, don't talk that way, Dixie," Henley protested, at the end of his
resources. "I thought we was going to have such a fine time, and now you
hardly know what you want. If you won't