ng, bird-like hands on her slim hips and slumped
inward at the waist-line; her eyes had the peculiar lambency of the blue
flame that plays on the surface of cognac and leaves it cold.

"What's hurtin' you, Ess? The whole week you been makin' this play to
dodge me and Harry. If you don't like our company, Doll-doll, me and
Harry can manage to worry along somehow."

"Oh, Lulu, it--it ain't that, and you know it."

"You're all alike. Didn't my last chum, Della Bradenwald, do the same
thing? I interdooced her to a gen'l'man friend of mine, a slick little
doorman for a two-day show, and what did she do? Scat! After the second
day it was good-by, Loo-Loo! They went kitin' it off together and
dropped me and Harry like parachutes!"

"Loo, darlin', honest, me and Joe just love goin' round dancin' with you
and Harry; but--but--"

"Then what's hurtin' you?"

"It's ma again, Loo. She looked like she was ready for one of her spells
when I left; she's been worse again these two days, and the doctor says
we mustn't get her excited--her heart's bum, Loo."

"Say, I used to have heart failure myself, and I know a swell
cure--Hartley's Heart's Ease. Honest, when I was over at the Olympic I
used to go dead like a tire. Lend me your eyestick, Ess."

"You'll laff, Loo; but she's daffy for me and Joe to come home after the
show; she's never seen him at all, and--"

"Oh, Gawd, I gotta flashlight of Joe!"

"When ma and I was clerkin' the girls and fellows always used to come to
our flat, Loo; and, say, for fun! Ma was as lively as any of us in those
days; and we'd have sardine sandwiches, and my kid brother used to
imitate all kinds of music and actors; and we used to laff and laff
until they'd knock on the ceiling from up-stairs and ma'd pack the whole
lot of 'em home. Why don't you and Harry come up to-night, too, Loo? And
we'll have a little doin's."

"Nothin' doin', Beauty. There's a Free-for-All Tango Contest round at
the Poppy Garden to-night; and, believe me, I wouldn't mind winning
that pink ivory manicure set. All I gotta ask is one thing, Ess! Bring
me a snapshot of Joe doing the fireside act!"

The glaze of unshed tears sprang over Miss Birdsong's eyes like gauzy
clouds across a summer sky.

"I--that's just it, Loo. I can't get him to come. Sometimes I think
maybe it's just because he's stringing me along; and I--he--he was your
friend first, Loo. Ain't he ever said anything to you about
me--about--aw, you know what I