"You mean not see each other any more at all?" he asked desperately. "I absolutely refuse." "No, silly, of course I don't mean that. We'll go on just as before, friends, comrades, pals." "When we love each other--when we've told each other we love each other?" "Certainly. What's that got to do with it?" "It would be the merest pretense," he declared solemnly. "Then let's begin the pretense now, and go up and throw a peanut at the elephant. Come along." She hooked her arm into his. Her levity of behavior undoubtedly got past him at times. "Georgia"--he was once more on the verge of remonstrance--"if you cared as you say you do, if you _loved_ me as I l----" She unhooked her arm and now she was serious enough. "Don't you understand," she said, "what I mean? We can't talk about that any more." "You mean not at all?" "Precisely." "But what if I can't conceal the most important thing in my whole life? What if I can't smirk and smile about it? What if I am not as good an actor as you? What if I can't pretend? What then?" He was very, very fierce with her. "Then I suppose I'll have to go home." They stood irresolute, facing each other, neither wishing to carry it too far. "Not that that would be much fun---- Oh, come, don't be silly--let's go attack the elephant. What must be, must be, you know." She paused to allow him time to yield with grieved dignity, then she headed for the animal house; he trailed in silence about half a step behind her during the first hundred yards, but finally sighed and surrendered and then fell into step and pretended during the rest of the afternoon with quite decent success. So his education began. And though he was by no means pliable material, she managed, being vastly the more expert, to keep him pretending with hardly a lapse throughout the winter. She found it more difficult, however, to keep herself pretending. X MOXEY Moxey was a Jew boy and a catcher. His last name ended in sky, and he came from the West-side ghetto. His father and mother came from the pale in Russia when Moxey's elder brother Steve was in arms and before Moxey himself appeared. Moxey would have been captain of the Prairie View Semi-Pro. B. B. Club, if merit ruled the world. But there was the crime of nineteen centuries ago against him, so they made McClaughrey captain; Georgia's sixteen-year-old brother Al played third base. The Prairie Views had one triumph in the morning, it being Sunday, the day for two and sometimes three games. They had the use of one of the diamonds on a public playground from Donovan, the wise cop. I have seen Donovan keep peace and order among eighteen warring lads from sixteen to twenty years old by a couple of looks, a smile and a silence. When there was money on the game, too.