o the place she had vacated, he must deposit a forfeit, to be
redeemed later in the evening. In any case she became the next "It." A
young lady "It" of course dropped the handkerchief behind a young man,
and equally, of course, started with a scream of frightened modesty
around the circle of players, endeavoring to reach, if possible, the
place of sanctuary left vacant by the young man. He started in pursuit,
and if he caught her--there we draw the veil. If the young lady were
anxious to escape, it was often possible for her to do so. But thanks to
Providence, all hearts were not so obdurate as Rita's. I would say,
however, in palliation of the infrequency of escapes, that it was looked
upon as a serious affront for a young lady to run too rapidly. In case
she were caught and refused to pay the forfeit, her act was one of
deadly insult gratuitously offered in full view of friends and
acquaintances.

Dic hesitated to accept Sukey's invitation, though, in truth, it would
have been inviting to any man of spirit. Please do not understand me to
say that Dic was a second Joseph, nor that he was one who would run away
from a game of any sort because a pretty Miss Potiphar or two happened
to be of the charmed and charming circle.

He had often been in the games, and no one had ever impugned his spirit
of gallantry by accusing him of unseemly neglect of the beautiful Misses
P. His absence from this particular game was largely due to the fact
that the right Miss Potiphar was sitting against the wall.

A flush came to Rita's cheek, and she moved uneasily when she saw Sukey
whispering to Dic; but he did not suspect that Rita cared a straw what
Sukey said. Neither did it occur to him that Rita would wish him to
remain out of the game. He could, if he entered the game, make Doug Hill
"sick," as Sukey had suggested, and that was a consummation devoutly to
be wished. He did not wish to subject himself to the charge of
ungallantry; and Sukey was, as you already know, fair to look upon, and
her offer was as generous as she could make under the circumstances. So
he chose a young lady, left Rita by the wall, and entered the game.

Doug Hill happened to be "It" and dropped the handkerchief behind Sukey,
whereupon that young lady walked leisurely around the circle, making no
effort to capture the Redoubtable. Such apathy was not only an
infringement of the etiquette of the game, but might, if the injured
party were one of high spirits, be