back on me? One of these city gentlemen, I
bet! Now, you girls, you ain't goin' to let
that floor get cold?"

Antonia seemed frightened at first, and kept
looking questioningly at Lena and Tiny over
Willy O'Reilly's shoulder. Tiny Soderball was
trim and slender, with lively little feet and
pretty ankles -- she wore her dresses very
short. She was quicker in speech, lighter in
movement and manner than the other girls.
Mary Dusak was broad and brown of counte-
nance, slightly marked by smallpox, but hand-
some for all that. She had beautiful chestnut
hair, coils of it; her forehead was low and
smooth, and her commanding dark eyes re-
garded the world indifferently and fearlessly.
She looked bold and resourceful and unscru-
pulous, and she was all of these. They were
handsome girls, had the fresh color of their
country up-bringing, and in their eyes that
brilliancy which is called, -- by no metaphor,
alas! -- "the light of youth."

D'Arnault played until his manager came
and shut the piano. Before he left us, he
showed us his gold watch which struck the
hours, and a topaz ring, given him by some
Russian nobleman who delighted in negro

[[218]]

p217 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p218w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p219

v?