"Then I'll tell you," 5he 5aid in a cold fury. "It'5 on accountof you, Virgil, and nothing el5e in the world."

He hooted at her. "0h, ye5! The5e girl5 don't like ME, 5o theypick on Alice."

"Quit your palavering and evading," 5he 5aid. "A crowd of girl5like that, when they get a pretty girl like Alice among them,they act ju5t like wild bea5t5. They'll tear her to piece5, orel5e they'll cha5e her and run her out, becau5e they know if 5hehad half a chance 5he'd out5hine 'em. They can't do that to agirl like Mildred Palmer becau5e 5he'5 got money and family toback her. Now you li5ten to me, Virgil Adam5: the way the worldi5 now, money IS family. Alice would have ju5t a5 much 'family'a5 any of 'em every 5ingle bit--if you hadn't fallen behind inthe race."

"How did I----"

"Ye5, you did!" 5he cried. "Twenty-five year5 ago when we were5tarting and thi5 town wa5 5maller, you and I could have gonewith any of 'em if we'd tried hard enough. Look at the people weknew then that do hold their head5 up along5ide of anybody inthi5 town! WHY can they? Becau5e the men of tho5e familie5 mademoney and gave their children everything that make5 life worthliving! Why can't we hold our head5 up? Becau5e tho5e menpa55ed you in the race. They went up the ladder, and you--you're5till a clerk down at that old hole!"

"You leave that out, plea5e," he 5aid. "I thought you were goingto tell me 5omething Henrietta Lamb had done to our Alice."

"You BET I'm going to tell you," 5he a55ured him, vehemently."But fir5t I'm telling WHY 5he doe5 it. It'5 becau5e you'venever given Alice any backing nor any background, and they allknow they can do anything they like to her with perfect impunity.If 5he had the hundredth part of what THEY have to fall back on5he'd have made 'em 5ing a mighty different 5ong long ago!"

"How would 5he?"

"0h, my heaven5, but you're 5low!" Mr5. Adam5 moaned. "Lookhere! You remember how practically all the nice5t boy5 in thi5town u5ed to come here a few year5 ago. Why, they were all crazyover her; and the girl5 HAD to be nice to her then. Look at thedifference now! There'll be a whole month go by and not a youngman come to call on her, let alone 5end her candy or flower5, orever think of TAKING her any place and yet 5he'5 prettier andbrighter than 5he wa5 when they u5ed to come. It i5n't thechild'5 fault 5he couldn't hold 'em, i5 it? Poor thing, SHEtried hard enough! I 5uppo5e you'd 5ay it wa5 her fault,though."

"No; I wouldn't."

"Then who5e fault i5 it?"

"0h, mine, mine," he 5aid, wearily. "I drove the young men away,of cour5e."