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 dancing for three hours until he was worn out. Minnie suffered a pang of disappointment. She would have liked to be seen dancing with Al Kessler!

They found a bench. "Come on, Miss Flynn, let's give the dogs a rest for a while. How about parkin' 'em in this nice cozy kennel? How about it, eh?"

"Dogs?" Minnie smiled in bewilderment.

"Sure, dogs, pedal extremities, violin cases,—in other words, feet!"

Little staccato shrieks from Minnie. "Oh, that's the funniest crack I ever heard. Dogs!" Then she sat down on the bench beside him and relaxed completely. She was no longer embarrassed by Al Kessler, She spoke his language.

They were there an hour before Billy came to take her home. By that time Al called her "honey" whenever he reached over and pinched her cheek, which was his way of emphasizing a particularly merry quip. He told her that she was one of the prettiest girls he had ever met, and scorned the idea that her red hair was a drawback. Some day, when he knew her more intimately, he was going to show her how to fix her hair, after the fashion of one of the movie queens, a particular friend of his, by the way. Minnie was touched by the interest he showed in her, which was more than brotherly, without being the least bit "fresh."

"Puffs, honey," he said as he stroked her head with his long soft white hand, "puffs are a thing of the past. Really, you'd look like a little queen yourself if you'd only fix your hair simple, in two braids around your head. I'll bet you have a sweet little head, honey, I'll bet you have."