“Yes’m--when ban’ play all lem _tunes_! My goo’ness, do soun’ gran’!” “You can’t do it to-night, though. Genesis,” said Jane. “You haf to be quiet on Sunday nights, don’t you?” “Yes’m. Ain’ got no mo’ kaytun till nex’ Friday even’.” “Oh, I bet that’s the party for Miss Pratt at Mr. Parcher’s!” cried Jane. “Didn’t I guess right?” “Yes’m. I reckon I’m a go’n a see one you’ fam’ly ’at night; see him dancin’--wait on him at refeshmuns.” Jane’s expression became even more serious than usual. “Willie? I don’t know whether he’s goin’, Genesis.” “Lan’ name!” Genesis exclaimed. “He die ef he don’ git invite to ’at ball!” “Oh, he’s invited,” said Jane. “Only I think maybe he won’t go.” “My goo’ness! Why ain’t he goin’?” Jane looked at her friend studiously before replying. “Well, it’s a secret,” she said, finally, “but it’s a very inter’sting one, an’ I’ll tell you if you never tell.” “Yes’m; I ain’t tellin’ nobody.” Jane glanced round, then stepped a little closer and told the secret with the solemnity it deserved. “Well, when Miss Pratt first came to visit Miss May Parcher, Willie used to keep papa’s evening clo’es in his windowseat, an’ mamma wondered what _had_ become of ’em. Then, after dinner, he’d slip up there an’ put ’em on him, an’ go out through the kitchen an’ call on Miss Pratt. Then mamma found ’em, and she thought he oughtn’t to do that, so she didn’ tell him or anything, an’ she didn’t even tell papa, but she had the tailor make ’em ever an’ ever so much bigger, ’cause they were gettin’ too tight for papa. An’, well, so after that, even if Willie could get ’em out o’ mamma’s clo’es closet where she keeps ’em now, he’d look so funny in ’em he couldn’t wear ’em. Well, an’ then he’s never been to see Miss Pratt in the evening one single time since then because mamma says after he started to go there in that suit he couldn’t go without it, or maybe Miss Pratt or the other ones that’s in love of her would think it was pretty queer, and maybe kind of expeck it was papa’s all the time. Mamma says she thinks Willie must have worried a good deal over reasons to say why he’d always go in the daytime after that, an’ never came in the evening, an’ now they’re goin’ to have this party, an’ she says he’s been gettin’ paler an’ paler every day since he heard about it. Mamma says he’s pale _some_, because Miss Pratt’s goin’ away, but she thinks it’s a good deal more because, well, if he would wear those evening clo’es just to go callin’, how would it be to go to that party an’ not have any? That’s what mamma thinks--an’, Genesis, you promised you’d never tell as long as you lived!”