A babel arose. "Don't you wish you could win the skates, Jim?" "What'll you do if you get a ring?" "And there's dolls and doll carriages, too."
The showman raised an arm as a signal for silence. "Will some boy step up to draw the tickets from the hat?"
Four or five eager volunteers scrambled over the footlights. The professor selected the largest of them.
"Number six-seventy-six!" John looked eagerly at the coupon which had been handed him at the door. "Number six-seventy-six! Who has it?"
Harriette, the cast-off Harriette of last year, bobbed forward.
"Ah," boomed the deep voice. "A little girl, and a nice one, too." Harriette stuck one finger in her mouth as she shifted sheepishly from foot to foot. "But the skates are boy's. Isn't that too bad? Now, little girl, do you think you will be satisfied with a nice, new dollar bill instead? Will that buy a good enough pair of skates?"
"Jimmy!" John ejaculated enviously.
"Number three-forty-four!" he continued, as his volunteer assistant drew out another slip. "And another little girl. Well, she gets this beautiful Brazilian pearl ring, set with wonderful, glistening rhinestones!"
The fortunate maiden scurried back to her mother as fast as her stocky little legs could carry her.
"Number seven-hundred-fifteen! Number seven-hundred-fifteen!"