“See the gay balonza-man, the charming gay balonza-man; We’ll do all that ever we can, To cheat the gay balonza-man!”

The things he was to be cheated of seemed to be osculations.—­G.v.d.M.

“The Needle’s Eye” won, and we formed in a long line of couples—­Wades, Finsters, Flemings, Boyds and the rest of the roll of present-day aristocrats, and marched, singing, between a boy and a girl standing on chairs with their hands joined.  Here is the song—­I can sing the tune to-day: 

“The needle’s eye,
Which doth supply
The thread which runs so true;
{And many a lass
{Have I let pass
or
{And many a beau
{Have I let go
Because I wanted you!”

At the word “you,” the two on the chairs—­they were Lizzie Finster and Charley McKim at first—­brought their arms down and caught a couple—­they caught Kittie and me—­who were at that moment passing through between the chairs—­which were the needle’s eye; and then they sang, giving us room to execute: 

     “And they bow so neat! 
     And they kiss so sweet! 
     We do intend before we end, to have this couple meet!”

Crimson of face, awkward as a calf, I bowed to Kittie and she to me; and then she threw her arms about me and kissed me on the lips.  And then I saw her wink slyly at Bob Wade.  Then Kittie and I became the needle’s eye and she worked it so we caught Bob Wade and Virginia, even though it was necessary to wait a moment after the word “you”—­she meant to do it!  As Bob’s lips met Virginia’s I groaned, and turning my back on Kittie Fleming, I rushed out of the room.  Judge Stone tried to stop me.

5

“Jake, Jake!” Judge Stone whispered in my ear, looking anxiously around, “have you seen the governor in the last half or three-quarters of an hour?”

“He hain’t been in here,” I said, jerking away from him.

“Sure?” he persisted.  “I’ve looked everywhere except in his office where he put the money—­and that’s locked.”

I broke away from him and went out.  I had no desire to see Governor Wade or any one else.  I wanted to be alone.  I had seen Virginia kissed by Bob Wade—­and they were still singing that sickish play in there.  They would be kissing and kissing all the rest of the night.  She to be kissed in this way, and I had been so careful of her, when I was all alone with her for days, and would have given my right hand for a kiss!  It was terrible.  I walked back and forth in the yard, and then came up on the porch and sat down on a bench, so as to hear the play-singing.  They were singing The Gay Balonza-Man, now.  I started up once to walk home, but I thought that Judge Stone was paying me wages for guarding the county’s money, and turned to go back where I could watch the games, lured by a sort of fascination to see how many times Virginia would allow herself to be kissed.  A woman came out of the house, and in passing saw and recognized me.  It was Mrs. Bliven.  She dropped down on the bench.