ated in bewilderment. "Oh, I
remember." Vaguely she recalled the little settlement scattered along
the banks of Cherry Creek and taking its name from that unassuming
stream. In the opinion of Peggy's neighbors, the young people of Cherry
Creek were a distinctly inferior class. Peggy had been inclined to set
this down to prejudice. In view of the demonstrations outside, she began
to think that possibly she had been mistaken.

"A crowd of 'em drove over," continued the exasperated Jerry, "and
more's coming. And they say they won't pay any admission, 'less they can
have seats. They say it's our business to have seats for everybody, the
way we've been advertising this here show."

In spirit Peggy groaned. It appeared that the too obliging _Weekly
Arena_ had overshot the mark.

"It's going to spoil everything to have them standing up there at the
back of the room," repeated Jerry. "They'll get to fooling, and
shuffling 'round. They wouldn't like anything better than to upset the
whole show. I'll bet that's what they came for."

"What are we going to do?" Peggy wrinkled her brows in the effort to
decide the question.

"Joe says he's ready to take a hand in throwing out the whole bunch.
There's some of our fellows here, good and husky, who'll help. But he
says if we do that, we ought to do it quick, before the rest of the
crowd gets here."

"Certainly _not_." And as Peggy vetoed one suggestion, her groping
brain seized on another. "Jerry, how far is Cherry Creek?"

"Eight miles, the nearest houses. Why can't they stay to home and get up
their own shows, 'stead of coming all this way to spoil ourn?"

Peggy's answer was unexpected. She pushed past Jerry, mounted to the
platform, and pulling aside the curtain, stepped out before the uneasy
audience. A characteristic of leadership is the ability to dispense with
advice in a crisis. At that minute Peggy did not need to ask whether she
were right.

The clamorous voices died down at her appearance. There was an instant
of astonished silence, and then a roar of laughter. The laugh was
something on which Peggy had not counted, and for a moment, she was
completely bewildered. Peggy was on too good terms with her fellow
beings to be afraid of them in bulk, but she had forgotten that her
grotesque appearance would naturally create amusement, and the roar of
laughter took her unawares. For the first and only time in her life, she
knew the meaning of stage-fright.

Then her mom