But David had made his last stand—­he folded her in, locked his heart and threw away the key.

“Love,” he whispered after a long time, “I know this is just a dream—­I’ve had ’em for ten years—­but don’t let anybody wake me!”

To which plea Phoebe was making the tenderest of responses, when the door burst open and Billy Bob shot into the room.

“Hip! hip!” he yelled at the top of his voice, “six hundred and ten plurality and all from the two coon wards—­count all in and verified—­no difference now how the others go and—­” He paused and the situation dawned upon him all in a heap as Phoebe hid her head against David’s collar.  “Davie,” he remarked in subdued tones, “you’re ’lected, but I don’t s’pose you care!”

“Go away, Billy Bob, don’t you see I’m busy?” answered David as he rose to his feet, keeping Phoebe still embraced as she stood beside him.

“Jerusalem the Golden!  Have you cornered heaven, David?” gasped Billy Bob again rising to the surface.  “Help, somebody, help!” At which exact minute Mistake succeeded in dispossessing Crimie of the last tatters of the adventures of the bears and thus bringing down upon them all a tumult of distraction.

Billy Bob caught up the roarer and threw him almost up to the ceiling.  “Hurrah for Dave!” he said, and to the best of his ability Crimie “hurrahed” while Mistake joined in enthusiastically.  The hubbub at last penetrated the slumbers of the twins, who added to the uproar to such an extent that Mammy Betty hurried to the scene of action and cleared the deck without further delay.

“And,” continued Billy Bob to Milly and the pair of serene and only slightly attentive young people, “you should have seen Jeff, dressed in Dave’s last year frock coat and high hat, whizzing around the coon haunts in Caroline’s gray car handing out invitations to the Chocolate Country Club jamboree!  They put the bottle and the dimes completely out of business and he voted the whole gang straight.  They tried hard to fix up the returns but Hob and I were at the count and we saw it clean.  Holy smoke, what a sell for the machine!  Slipped a cog on the nigger vote that they have handled for years!”

“And not a dollar spent!” said David with pride.  Which goes to show that at times women keep their own counsels, for Phoebe ducked her head to hide a smile.

“And now it’s up to you to hurry and get to the University Club by eight-thirty.  You are to address the populace and two brass bands from the northeast window at nine sharp—­two extras out announcing it.  Everybody has been looking for you an hour, you old moon-spooner, you!” urged Billy Bob.

“They can keep up the hunt—­Phoebe and I are going—­well, we are going where nobody can find us for this evening anyway,” answered David with danger in his eyes.

“No!” said Phoebe as she slipped her hand into his, “I’ve had you as long as is fair as it is.  Won’t you go and see them all?  If you will I will dress in a hurry and you can come by for me.  Please!”