n.
However, she gloated on it only for a moment. "But about Jarge,
Terry--did he get pulled in that night?"

Terry shook his head. "No. You see the ball was ending up in a
free-for-all, just like the Twirlers always do, and the cops were so
busy inside that there was no one left to pay any attention to a little
thing like Jarge's scrap."

"And I must say," Mrs. O'Brien continued, "I'm sorry for that poor Larry
Finn, for it wasn't his fault at all, at all. It was Ellen's own
arrangement."

"That's so," Rosie agreed. "By rights Ellen's the one that ought to have
got beat up."

"Why, Rosie, I'm surprised to hear you say such a thing and about your
own sister, too!"

Mrs. O'Brien's surprise was lost upon Rosie, who was looking intently at
her father. "Say, Dad, what do you think of a girl doing a trick like
that on two decent fellows?"

Jamie O'Brien, who had said nothing up to this, took a drink of tea,
wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and slowly cleared his
throat. "It's me own opinion, Rosie, it's a very risky game that Ellen's
playing."

"Risky? It's worse than risky: it's dishonest."

Rosie started to push back her chair, but her mother stretched out a
detaining hand. "Wait a minute, Rosie. You haven't yet heard what I'm
trying to tell you."

Rosie's eyes opened wide. "Is there any more?"

"To be sure there is, Rosie. You've only heard the beginning."

Rosie dropped back in her chair a little limply. What more could there
be?

Mrs. O'Brien breathed hard and long; she sighed; she gazed about at the
various members of her family. At last she spoke:

"I don't know what's come over Jarge since that night. You know yourself
what an easy-going young fella he's always been, never holding a grudge,
always ready to let bygones be bygones. Well, he's never forgiven Ellen
from that night on. He scowls at her like a storm-cloud every time he
sees her and last week, Rosie--why, you'll hardly believe me when I tell
you what he said to her last week. We were all sitting here at the
table: your poor da over there, and Terry in his place, and Jack beside
him, and meself here. Ellen made some thriflin' remark about how silly a
girl is to marry herself to one man when she might be going around
having a good time with half a dozen--nuthin' at all, you understand,
just the way Ellen always runs on, when, before I knew what was
happening, Jarge jumped to his feet and pounded the table until every
dish on it was