Again Aggie had recourse to the 'phone.

"Hello," she called to the office boy, "tell that woman to go around to

the back door, and we'll send something down to her." There was a slight

pause, then Aggie added sweetly, "Yes, tell her to wait at the foot of

the fire-escape."

Zoie had already caught the drift of Aggie's intention and she now fixed

her glittering eyes upon Jimmy, who was already shifting about uneasily

and glancing at Aggie, who approached him with a business-like air.

"Now, dear," said Aggie, "come with me. I'll hand Baby out through the

bathroom window and you can run right down the fire-escape with him."

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"If I do run down the fire-escape," exclaimed Jimmy, wagging his large

head from side to side, "I'll keep right on RUNNING. That's the last

you'll ever see of me."

"But, Jimmy," protested Aggie, slightly hurt by his threat, "once that

woman gets her baby you'll have no more trouble."

"With you two still alive?" asked Jimmy, looking from one to the other.

"She'll be up here if you don't hurry," urged Aggie impatiently, and

with that she pulled Jimmy toward the bedroom door.

"Let her come," said Jimmy, planting his feet so as to resist Aggie's

repeated tugs, "I'm going to South America."

"Why will you act like this," cried Aggie, in utter desperation, "when

we have so little time?"

"Say," said Jimmy irrelevantly, "do you know that I haven't had any----"

"Yes," interrupted Aggie and Zoie in chorus, "we know."

"How long," continued Zoie impatiently, "is it going to take you to slip

down that fire-escape?"

"That depends on how fast I 'slip,'" answered Jimmy doggedly.

"You'll 'slip' all right," sneered Zoie.

Further exchange of pleasantries between these two antagonists was cut

short by the banging of the outside door.

"Good Heavens!" exclaimed Aggie, glancing nervously over her shoulder,

"there's Alfred now. Hurry, Jimmy, hurry," she cried, and with that she

fairly forced Jimmy out through the bedroom door, and followed in his

wake to see him safely down the fire-escape.




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