Part 21 (1/2)

”Another!” shrieked Jimmy. ”See here, you two can't be changing babies every five minutes without Alfred knowing it. Even HE has SOME sense.”

”Nonsense!” answered Aggie shortly. ”You know perfectly well that all young babies look just alike. Their own mothers couldn't tell them apart, if it weren't for their clothes.”

”But where can we GET another?” asked Zoie.

Before Aggie could answer, Alfred was again heard calling from the next room. Apparently all his anger had subsided, for he inquired in the most amiable tone as to what baby might be doing and how he might be feeling.

Aggie crossed quickly to the door, and sweetly rea.s.sured the anxious father, then she closed the door softly and turned to Zoie and Jimmy with a new inspiration lighting her face. ”I have it,” she exclaimed ecstatically.

Jimmy regarded his spouse with grave suspicion.

”Now see here,” he objected, ”every time YOU 'HAVE IT,' I DO IT. The NEXT time you 'HAVE IT' YOU DO IT!”

The emphasis with which Jimmy made his declaration deserved consideration, but to his amazement it was entirely ignored by both women. Hopping quickly out of bed, without even glancing in his direction, Zoie gave her entire attention to Aggie. ”What is it?” she asked eagerly.

”There must be OTHER babies' Homes,” said Aggie, and she glanced at Jimmy from her superior height.

”They aren't open all night like corner drug stores,” growled Jimmy.

”Well, they ought to be,” decided Zoie.

”And surely,” argued Aggie, ”in an extraordinary case--like----”

”This was an 'extraordinary case,'” declared Jimmy, ”and you saw what happened this time, and the Superintendent is a friend of mine--at least he WAS a friend of mine.” And with that Jimmy sat himself down on the far corner of the couch and proceeded to ruminate on the havoc that these two women had wrought in his once tranquil life.

Zoie gazed at Jimmy in deep disgust; her friend Aggie had made an excellent suggestion, and instead of acting upon it with alacrity, here sat Jimmy sulking like a stubborn child.

”I suppose,” said Zoie, as her eyebrows a.s.sumed a bored angle, ”there are SOME babies in the world outside of Children's Homes.”

”Of course,” was Aggie's enthusiastic rejoinder; ”there's one born every minute.”

”But I was born BETWEEN minutes,” protested Jimmy.

”Who's talking about you?” snapped Zoie.

Again Aggie exclaimed that she ”had it.”

”She's got it twice as bad,” groaned Jimmy, and he wondered what new form her persecution of him was about to take.

”Where is the morning paper?” asked Aggie, excitedly.

”We can't advertise NOW,” protested Zoie. ”It's too late for that.”

”s.h.!.+ s.h.!.+” answered Aggie, as she s.n.a.t.c.hed the paper quickly from the table and began running her eyes up and down its third page.

”Married--married,” she murmured, and then with delight she found the half column for which she was searching. ”Born,” she exclaimed triumphantly. ”Here we are! Get a pencil, Zoie, and we'll take down all the new ones.”

”Of course,” agreed Zoie, clapping her hands in glee, ”and Jimmy can get a taxi and look them right up.”

”Oh, CAN he?” shouted Jimmy as he rose with clenched fists. ”Now you two, see here----”