The Imp's Matinée
said that if they would very much rather I went to the theatre instead, and if—" here the Imp forgot his elaborate courtesy and spluttered, "if they'd stop making such a time over me because I am only seven and a quarter, and Milltown is four miles off, and Uncle Stanley isn't here, and Mr. Jarvis says the elephant hates polo-caps, and I had a little tiny headache last week and I'm all right now"
"Oh, well," said No. 5 soothingly, "I guess it's no great shakes of a circus. I guess the play'll be a lot better. I"
"Third floor, here at once!" somebody called. "Five! I say, Five!"
"That's me," said No. 5, in a surprised tone. "I guess I'd better toddle off sometime to-day. So long, Imp!"
A drop of bitterness had fallen into the Imp's cup of pleasure. He had almost begun to believe he preferred the theatre to the circus, and now—whatever Jim might say, he was going to Milltown! He tramped through the little dusty town, looking at its one street of shops with undisguised contempt. This town was really very small. He extracted a quarter from his dirty little
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