Part 26 (1/2)

”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 b.u.t.ton of Jimmy's overcoat.

”Here?” echoed Jimmy vapidly, glancing at the b.u.t.ton 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 s.n.a.t.c.hed 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.

”You just try,” threatened Alfred, and he towered over the intimidated Jimmy. ”Are you crazy?”

Jimmy was of the opinion that he must be crazy or he would never have found himself in such a predicament as this, but the anxious faces of Zoie and Aggie, denied him the luxury of declaring himself so. He sank mutely on the end of the couch and proceeded to sulk in silence.

As for Aggie and Zoie, they continued to gaze open-mouthed at Alfred, who was waltzing about the room transported into a new heaven of delight at having s.n.a.t.c.hed his heir from the danger of another night ramble with Jimmy.

”Did a horrid old Jimmy spoil his 'itty nap'?” he gurgled to Baby. Then with a sudden exclamation of alarm, he turned toward the anxious women.

”Aggie!” he cried, as he stared intently into Baby's face. ”Look--his ras.h.!.+ It's turned IN!”

Aggie pretended to glance over Alfred's shoulder.

”Why so it has,” she agreed nervously.

”What shall we do?” cried the distraught Alfred.

”It's all right now,” counselled Aggie, ”so long as it didn't turn in too suddenly.”

”We'd better keep him warm, hadn't we?” suggested Alfred, remembering Aggie's previous instructions on a similar occasion. ”I'll put him in his crib,” he decided, and thereupon he made a quick move toward the ba.s.sinette.

Staggering back from the cradle with the unsteadiness of a drunken man Alfred called upon the Diety. ”What is THAT?” he demanded as he pointed toward the unexpected object before him.

Neither Zoie, Aggie, nor Jimmy could command words to a.s.sist Alfred's rapidly waning powers of comprehension, and it was not until he had swept each face for the third time with a look of inquiry that Zoie found breath to stammer nervously, ”Why--why--why, that's the OTHER one.”

”The other one?” echoed Alfred in a dazed manner; then he turned to Aggie for further explanation.

”Yes,” affirmed Aggie, with an emphatic nod, ”the other one.”

An undescribable joy was dawning on Alfred's face.