wisdom of the ages. He smiled bitterly at the incongruity of it, and was
assailed by doubts. But between inner vision and outward pleasantry he
found time to watch the theatre crowd streaming by. And then he saw Her,
under the lights, between her brother and the strange young man with
glasses, and his heart seemed to stand still. He had waited long for
this moment. He had time to note the light, fluffy something that hid
her queenly head, the tasteful lines of her wrapped figure, the
gracefulness of her carriage and of the hand that caught up her skirts;
and then she was gone and he was left staring at the two girls of the
cannery, at their tawdry attempts at prettiness of dress, their tragic
efforts to be clean and trim, the cheap cloth, the cheap ribbons, and the
cheap rings on the fingers. He felt a tug at his arm, and heard a voice
saying:-

"Wake up, Bill! What's the matter with you?"

"What was you sayin'?" he asked.

"Oh, nothin'," the dark girl answered, with a toss of her head. "I was
only remarkin'--"

"What?"

"Well, I was whisperin' it'd be a good idea if you could dig up a
gentleman friend--for her" (indicating her companion), "and then, we
could go off an' have ice-cream soda somewhere, or coffee, or anything."

He was afflicted by a sudden spiritual nausea. The transition from Ruth
to this had been too abrupt. Ranged side by side with the bold, defiant
eyes of the girl before him, he saw Ruth's clear, luminous eyes, like a