"What was the racket about?" Jap asked incuriously.
Rosy giggled.
"They wanted to nominate the ugliest man in town, and there was a fight," she said.
"Shut up!" growled Bill. "Haven't you got any sense?"
"Sam Waldron nominated Jap," she sputtered, between giggles.
A hot flush swept over Jap. Always keenly sensitive, he had never armored himself against the playful brutalities of his friends. The shame of being made a subject of ridicule cut deeply.
"Rosy is a fool!" snapped Bill.
"What was the fuss about?" asked Flossy, prompted by a conviction that further revelation would be good for Jap.
"Why, Isabel Granger slapped his face, and Bill jumped in and punched him in the ribs, and the crowd wanted to take him down to the pond and duck him."
Flossy's hand sought Jap's, and she laughed softly.