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,

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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.




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