Placing the small creature in Jimmy's protesting arms, Aggie turned
toward the cradle to make the proposed exchange when she was startled by
the unexpected return of Alfred.
Thanks to the ample folds of Jimmy's ulster, he was able to effectually
conceal his charge and he started quickly toward the hall, but in making
the necessary detour around the couch he failed to reach the door before
Alfred, who had chosen a more direct way.
"Hold on, Jimmy," exclaimed Alfred good-naturedly, and he laid a
detaining hand on his friend's shoulder. "Where are you going?"
"I'll be back," stammered Jimmy weakly, edging his way toward the door,
and contriving to keep his back toward Alfred.
"Wait a minute," said Alfred jovially, as he let his hand slip onto
Jimmy's arm, "you haven't told me the news yet."
"I'll tell you later," mumbled Jimmy, still trying to escape. But
Alfred's eye had fallen upon a bit of white flannel dangling below
the bottom of Jimmy's ulster, it travelled upward to Jimmy's unusually
rotund figure.
"What have you got there?" he demanded to know, as he pointed toward the
centre button of Jimmy's overcoat.
"Here?" echoed Jimmy vapidly, glancing at the button in question, "why,
that's just a little----" There was a faint wail from the depths of
the ulster. Jimmy began to caper about with elephantine tread. "Oochie,
coochie, oochie," he called excitedly.
"What's the matter with you?" asked Alfred. The wail became a shriek.
"Good Heavens!" cried the anxious father, "it's my boy." And with that
he pounced upon Jimmy, threw wide his ulster and snatched from his arms
Jimmy's latest contribution to Zoie's scheme of things.
As Aggie had previously remarked, all young babies look very much alike,
and to the inexperienced eye of this new and overwrought father, there
was no difference between the infant that he now pressed to his breast,
and the one that, unsuspected by him, lay peacefully dozing in the crib,
not ten feet from him. He gazed at the face of the newcomer with the
same ecstasy that he had felt in the possession of her predecessor. But
Zoie and Aggie were looking at each other with something quite different
from ecstasy.
"My boy," exclaimed Alfred, with deep emotion, as he clasped the tiny
creature to his breast. Then he turned to Jimmy. "What were you doing
with my baby?" he demanded hotly.
"I--I was just taking him out for a little walk!" stammered Jimmy.