h occasion, frothed across the street at the
livery-stable corner, and down toward the Campbellite church.

Molly presently slipped out of the garden gate and went down Maple
Street by herself. Within twenty minutes she, too, had joined the
parade, and with her was Fannie Bubble. As these passed the Atlas
Hotel both the drummers got up.

"Hello, Molly," said the grocery drummer. "I've been waiting for you
since Hector was a pup," and he caught her arm, while the dry-goods
salesman advanced a little uncertainly.

"You 'tend to your own business, Joe Cling," ordered Molly, jerking
her arm away, but nevertheless giving an inquiring glance toward her
companion. That rigid young lady, however, was looking straight ahead.
She was standing just in front of Wallingford.

"Come on," coaxed the grocery drummer; "I don't bite. Grab hold there
on the other side, Billy."

Miss Bubble, however, was still looking so uncompromisingly straight
ahead that Billy hesitated, and the willing enough Molly, seeing that
the conference had "struck a snag," took matters into her own vigorous
hands again.

"You're too fresh," she admonished the grocery drummer. "Let go my
arm, I tell you. Come on, Fannie," and she flounced away with her
companion, turning into the gate of the hotel garden. Miss Fannie cast
back a curious glance, not at the grocery drummer nor the veteran
dry-goods salesman, but at the quiet J. Rufus.

The discomfited transients gave short laughs of chagrin and went back
to their seats, but the grocery drummer was too young to be daunted
for long, and by the time another section or two of the giggling
parade had passed them he was ready for a second attempt. One couple,
a tall, thin girl and a short, chubby one, who had now made the
circuit three times, came sweeping past again, exchanging with each
other hilarious persiflage which was calculated to attract and tempt.

"Wait a minute," said the grocery drummer to his companion.

He dashed straight across the street, and under the shadow of the big
elm intercepted the long and short couple. There was a parley in which
the girls two or three times started to walk away, a further parley in
which they consented to stand still, a loud male guffaw mingled with a
succession of shrill giggles, then suddenly the grocery salesman
called:

"Come on, Billy!"

The dry-goods man half rose from his chair and hesitated.

"Come on, Billy!" again invited the grocery drummer. "We're go