This was clearly not a case with which one small addled mind could deal,

or at least, so Maggie decided. She had a hazy idea that Alfred was

adding something to the original purchase price of her young sisters,

but she was quite at a loss to know how to refuse the offer of such

a "grand 'hoigh" gentleman, even though her failure to do so would no

doubt result in a beating when she reached home. She stared at Alfred

undecided what to do, the money still lay in her outstretched hand.

"I'm afraid Pa'll niver loike it, sir," she said.

"Like it?" exclaimed Alfred in high feather, and he himself closed her

red little fingers over the bill, "he's GOT to like it. He'll GROW to

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like it. Now you run along," he concluded to Maggie, as he urged her

toward the door, "and tell him what I say."

"Yes, sir," murmured Maggie, far from sharing Alfred's enthusiasm.

Feeling no desire to renew his acquaintance with Maggie, particularly

under Alfred's watchful eye, Jimmy had sought his old refuge, the high

backed chair. As affairs progressed and there seemed no doubt of Zoie's

being able to handle the situation to the satisfaction of all concerned,

Jimmy allowed exhaustion and the warmth of the firelight to have their

way with him. His mind wandered toward other things and finally into

space. His head dropped lower and lower on his chest; his breathing

became laboured--so laboured in fact that it attracted the attention of

Maggie, who was about to pass him on her way to the door.

"Sure an it's Mr. Jinks!" exclaimed Maggie. Then coming close to the

side of the unsuspecting sleeper, she hissed a startling message in his

ear. "Me mother said to tell you that me fadder's hoppin' mad at you,

sir."

Jimmy sat up and rubbed his eyes. He studied the young person at his

elbow, then he glanced at Alfred, utterly befuddled as to what had

happened while he had been on a journey to happier scenes. Apparently

Maggie was waiting for an answer to something, but to what? Jimmy

thought he detected an ominous look in Alfred's eyes. Letting his hand

fall over the arm of the chair so that Alfred could not see it, Jimmy

began to make frantic signals to Maggie to depart; she stared at him the

harder.

"Go away," whispered Jimmy, but Maggie did not move. "Shoo, shoo!" he

said, and waved her off with his hand.

Puzzled by Jimmy's sudden aversion to this apparently harmless child,

Alfred turned to Maggie with a puckered brow.




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