this ex-table girl from the Mansion House stands out some prominent.

"By gorry!" explodes Ira, as he gets his first glimpse. And from then
on he sits with his eyes glued on her as long as she's on the stage.

[Illustration: "By gorry!" explodes Ira, as he gets his first glimpse.]

He had a good view too; for comin' late all I could get was upper box
seats at three a throw, and I shoves Ira close up to the rail. That
one remark is all he has to unload durin' the whole performance, and
somehow I didn't have the heart to break in with any comments. You
see, I wa'n't sure how he might be takin' it; so I waits until the
final curtain, and then nudges him out of his dream.

"Well, how about it?" says I. "Ready to scratch your entry now, are
you?"

"Eh?" says he, rousin' up. "Pull out? No, Sir! I--I'm going to give
her a chance to take that ring."

"You are?" says I. "Well, well! Right there with the pep, ain't you?
But how you goin' to manage it?"

"Why, I--I don't know," says he, lookin' blank. "Say, Son, can't you
fix it for me some way? I--I want Nellie to go back with me. If I
could only see her for a minute, and explain how it was I couldn't----"

"You win, Ira!" says I. "Hanged if there ain't Tucky Moller down there
in an usher's uniform. He's an old friend of mine. We'll see what he
can do."