When Jimmy gained courage to turn his eyes in the direction of the

family group he had helped to assemble, he was not reassured by the

reproachful glances that he met from Aggie and Zoie. It was apparent

that in their minds, he was again to blame for something. Realising that

they dared not openly reproach him before Alfred, he decided to make his

escape while his friend was still in the room. He reached for his hat

and tiptoed gingerly toward the door, but just as he was congratulating

himself upon his decision, Alfred called to him with a mysterious air.

"Jimmy," he said, "just a minute," and he nodded for Jimmy to approach.

It must have been Jimmy's guilty conscience that made him powerless

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to disobey Alfred's every command. Anyway, he slunk back to the fond

parent's side, where he ultimately allowed himself to be inveigled into

swinging his new watch before the unattentive eyes of the red-faced

babes on Alfred's knees.

"Lower, Jimmy, lower," called Alfred as Jimmy absent-mindedly allowed

the watch to swing out of the prescribed orbit. "Look at the darlings,

Jimmy, look at them," he exclaimed as he gazed at the small creatures

admiringly.

"Yes, look at them, Jimmy," repeated Zoie, and she glared at Jimmy

behind Alfred's back.

"Don't you wish you had one of them, Jimmy?'" asked Alfred.

"Well, I wish he had," commented Zoie, and she wondered how she was

ever again to detach either of them from Alfred's breast.

Before she could form any plan, the telephone rang loud and

persistently. Jimmy glanced anxiously toward the women for instructions.

"I'll answer it," said Aggie with suspicious alacrity, and she crossed

quickly toward the 'phone. The scattered bits of conversation that Zoie

was able to gather from Aggie's end of the wire did not tend to soothe

her over-excited nerves. As for Alfred, he was fortunately so engrossed

with the babies that he took little notice of what Aggie was saying.

"What woman?" asked Aggie into the 'phone. "Where's she from?" The

answer was evidently not reassuring. "Certainly not," exclaimed Aggie,

"don't let her come up; send her away. Mrs. Hardy can't see anyone at

all." Then followed a bit of pantomime between Zoie and Aggie, from

which it appeared that their troubles were multiplying, then Aggie again

gave her attention to the 'phone. "I don't know anything about her," she

fibbed, "that woman must have the wrong address." And with that she hung

up the receiver and came towards Alfred, anxious to get possession of

his two small charges and to get them from the room, lest the mother who

was apparently downstairs should thrust herself into their midst.




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