102 



THE COUNTRY BOY 



had never been to a dance alone, and her mother 

 refused, although the girl was willing, so I 

 called it off and went up home and helped 

 around the barn. I waved my hat to the girls 

 I had asked as they drove by in livery rigs with 



other fellows, and 



after they had all 

 gotten out of town 

 I went down to the 

 post-office to get 

 the Silverton Ap- 

 IJeal, w h e n w h o 

 should I meet but 

 the belle of the vil- 

 1 a g e, as we all 

 called her among 

 ourselves. She 

 smiled and I 

 smiled, and she 

 asked why I 

 wasn't at the 

 dance. " W h a t 

 d an c e?" said I. 

 "At Egan's Hop 

 H o u s e," she re- 

 plied. "Everybody 



-C^' 



