Jimmy and Aggie gazed at Alfred as though hypnotised. They kept time to

his lullaby out of sheer nervousness. Suddenly Alfred stopped, held the

child from him and gazed at it in horror. "Good heavens!" he exclaimed.

The others waited breathlessly. "Look at that baby's face," commanded

Alfred.

Zoie and Aggie exchanged alarmed glances, then Zoie asked in

trepidation, "What's the matter with his face?"

"He's got a fever," declared Alfred. And he started toward the bed to

show the child to its mother.

"Go away!" shrieked Zoie, waving Alfred off in wild alarm.

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"What?" asked Alfred, backing from her in surprise.

Aggie crossed quickly to Alfred's side and looked over his shoulder at

the boy. "I don't see anything wrong with its face," she said.

"It's scarlet!" persisted Alfred.

"Oh," said Jimmy with a superior air, "they're always like that."

"Nothing of the sort," snorted Alfred, and he glared at Jimmy

threateningly. "You've frozen the child parading him around the

streets."

"Let me have him, Alfred," begged Aggie sweetly; "I'll put him in his

crib and keep him warm."

Reluctantly Alfred released the boy. His eyes followed him to the crib

with anxiety. "Where's his nurse?" he asked, as he glanced first from

one to the other.

Zoie and Jimmy stared about the room as though expecting the desired

person to drop from the ceiling. Then Zoie turned upon her unwary

accomplice.

"Jimmy," she called in a threatening tone, "where IS his nurse?"

"Does Jimmy take the nurse out, too?" demanded Alfred, more and more

annoyed by the privileges Jimmy had apparently been usurping in his

absence.

"Never mind about the nurse," interposed Aggie. "Baby likes me better

anyway. I'll tuck him in," and she bent fondly over the crib, but Alfred

was not to be so easily pacified.

"Do you mean to tell me," he exclaimed excitedly, "that my boy hasn't

any nurse?"

"We HAD a nurse," corrected Zoie, "but--but I had to discharge her."

Alfred glanced from one to the other for an explanation.

"Discharge her?" he repeated, "for what?"

"She was crazy," stammered Zoie.

Alfred's eyes sought Aggie's for confirmation. She nodded. He directed

his steady gaze toward Jimmy. The latter jerked his head up and down in

nervous assent.

"Well," said Alfred, amazed at their apparent lack of resource, "why

didn't you get ANOTHER nurse?"




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