"Taking the air?" asked the policeman.
"Ye-yes," mumbled Jimmy with affected nonchalence and he knocked the
heels of his boots together in order to keep his teeth from chattering.
"It's a fi-fine ni-night for air," he stuttered.
"Is it?" said the policeman, and to Jimmy's horror, he saw the fellow's
eyes fix themselves on the bit of white.
"Go-good-night," stammered Jimmy hurriedly, and trying to assume an
easy stride in spite of the uncomfortable addition to his already rotund
figure, he slipped into the hotel, where avoiding the lighted elevator,
he laboured quickly, up the stairs.
At the very moment when Zoie was driving Alfred in consternation from
the room, Jimmy entered it uninvited.
"Get out," was the inhospitable greeting received simultaneously from
Zoie and Aggie, and without waiting for further instructions he "got."
Fortunately for all concerned, Alfred, who was at the same moment
departing by way of the bedroom door, did not look behind him; but it
was some minutes before Aggie who had followed Jimmy into the hall could
persuade him to return.
After repeated and insistent signals both from Aggie and Zoie, Jimmy's
round red face appeared cautiously around the frame of the door. It bore
unmistakable indications of apoplexy. But the eyes of the women were not
upon Jimmy's face, they too had caught sight of the bit of white that
hung below his coat, and dragging him quickly into the room and closing
the door, Aggie proceeded without inquiry or thanks to unbutton his coat
and to take from beneath it the small object for which she and Zoie had
been eagerly waiting.
"Thank Heaven!" sighed Zoie, as she saw Aggie bearing the latest
acquisition to Alfred's rapidly increasing family safely toward the
crib.
Suddenly remembering something in his right hand coat pocket, Jimmy
called to Aggie, who turned to him and waited expectantly. After
characteristic fumbling, he produced a well filled nursing bottle.
"What's that?" asked Zoie.
"For HER," grunted Jimmy, and he nodded toward the bundle in Aggie's
arms.
"HER!" cried Zoie and Aggie in chorus. Zoie shut her lips hard and gazed
at him with contempt.
"I might have known you'd get the wrong kind," she said.
What Jimmy thought about the ingratitude of woman was not to be
expressed in language. He controlled himself as well as he could and
merely LOOKED the things that he would like to have said.
"Well, it can't be helped now," decided the philosophic Aggie; "here,
Jimmy," she said, "you hold 'HER' a minute and I'll get you the other
one."