The Press., 1918-02-28

thrilling consciousness that he was to : be young again. He. wondered why Bab hadn't asked him to don his eve ming togs perhaps young men didn't : dress for small dances in Babbette's set. At any rate he would dance with the girls and they would all be young and warm and glorious like Babbette. It would be q renewal of his youth, only a youth more youthful and thrill : ing than his own had been because these girls of the present generation were more magnetic, more primitive than girls had ever been before. Just for a night he would be young and then-he winced a little at the idea he would come back and spend the rest of the nights beside the table with Bab in the gray dress with the capable 1 white hands.
 Having no eight cylinder Carrots took Babbette to the house where the party was to take place in the street car and so fully was he taking the part thrust upon him, that when paSsen- gers in the car looked with unfeigned admiration at the beautiful creature beside him, 1t was with the pride of a youth for a maiden, and not with fatherly pride, that he received the attention.
 "It's funny I didn't have to wear evening dress" Carrots remarked. "Don't they usually for dances?"
 Then it was that Babbette explained that 1t wasn't to be a dance he was taking her. It was to be fraternity meeting, and all Carrots and the other boys had to do was to sit in the down. stairs reception rOOm-they could smoke. if they wanted tO-while the girls had the meeting upstairs. It wouldn't be more than an hour or so and If there we're any refreshments left they sometimes sent them down to the boys. The boys usually waited right there instead of going home in the interval, because sometimes the meetings adjourned later and some times earlier.
 At half past nine that night Carrots had been sitting in chilly, dimly lighted reception room for an hour. From above came the delirious, intoxi- eating peels of laughter and music from girls like Babbette. Beside him sat Goggles, In a straight-back chair across the room was Shorty, who had come late with the hope of taking Nell lie home eventually in spite of Cog ,gles. Other dejected young men sat on other straight-back chairs. . They had talked in 'monOsyllables from time to time, but not to him. They seemed to regard him with sus- plcion and distrust. Eventually Cog :gles broke the ostracism. You're new at this, aren't yOu?"
 Carrots said he was.
 'You get used to it." commented Goggles. "You got to do tiff you don't somebody else will. There's al- ways somebody else walting-just as you were tonight-to take your place, and that always makes you sore" "It must have been nice," unused Shorty from across the room, ''in the days when our fathers and mothers were yOung-befOre girls had fraterni- ties and things. This way, for every dance they let you go with them you have to sit out an evening like this. But you have to do it."
 Must be nice to be an old fellow and to have the girl you've been sitting around for all to yourself-sitting somewhere near you while you are home and comfortable" That was from Goggles.
 'YOu bet" agreed Carrots.
 An hour later Carrots and Babbette found Bab still sitting in the glow of the lamp. A neat pile of socks and Babbette's gay silk stockings were be- fore her. Her eyes were heavy, but she smiled radiantly at their return. Steve pulled off his hat and before taking his coat of, rushed to her, lifted her to her feet and held her sleepy form to him. "Bab, you're the dearest and sweetest in the world. It's great to be forty-flve."