Bessy had no divination of the fact that her words for Lane had a clarifying significance. "I suppose you played what we used to call kissing games?" queried Lane. A sweet, high trill of laughter escaped Bessy's red lips. "Daren, you are funny. Those games are as dead as Caesar.... This bunch of boys and girls paired off by themselves to spoon.... As for myself, I don't mind spooning if I like the fellow—and he hasn't been drinking. But otherwise I hate it. All the same I got what was coming to me from some of the boys of the Strong Arm Club." "Why do they give it that name?" asked Lane, remembering Colonel Pepper's remarks. "Why, if a girl doesn't come across she gets the strong arm.... I had to fight like the devil that last afternoon I went there." " Did you fight, Bessy?"

