ttle fellow playfully in the ribs. "I'll tell you what,"
he called over his shoulder to Zoie, "he's a fine looking boy." And then
with a mysterious air, he nodded to Aggie to approach. "Whom does he
look like?" he asked.

Again Zoie sat up in anxiety. Aggie glanced at her, uncertain what
answer to make.

"I--I hadn't thought," she stammered weakly.

"Go on, go on," exclaimed the proud young father, "you can't tell me
that you can look at that boy and not see the resemblance."

"To whom?" asked Aggie, half fearfully.

"Why," said Alfred, "he's the image of Zoie."

Zoie gazed at the puckered red face in Alfred's arms. "What!" she
shrieked in disgust, then fall back on her pillows and drew the lace
coverlet over her face.

Mistaking Zoie's feeling for one of embarrassment at being over-praised,
Alfred bore the infant to her bedside. "See, dear," he persisted, "see
for yourself, look at his forehead."

"I'd rather look at you," pouted Zoie, peeping from beneath the
coverlet, "if you would only put that thing down for a minute."

"Thing?" exclaimed Alfred, as though doubting his own ears. But before
he could remonstrate further, Zoie's arms were about his neck and she
was pleading jealously for his attention.

"Please, Alfred," she begged, "I have scarcely had a look at you, yet."

Alfred shook his head and turned to baby with an indulgent smile. It was
pleasant to have two such delightful creatures bidding for his entire
attention.

"Dear me," he said to baby. "Dear me, tink of mudder wanting to look at
a big u'gy t'ing like fadder, when she could look at a 'itty witty t'ing
like dis," and he rose and crossed to the crib where he deposited the
small creature with yet more gurgling and endearing.

Zoie's dreams of rapture at Alfred's home coming had not included such
divided attention as he was now showing her and she was growing more and
more desperate at the turn affairs had taken. She resolved to put a stop
to his nonsense and to make him realise that she and no one else was the
lode star of his existence. She beckoned to Aggie to get out of the
room and to leave her a clear field and as soon as her friend had gone
quietly into the next room, she called impatiently to Alfred who was
still cooing rapturously over the young stranger. Finding Alfred deaf
to her first entreaty, Zoie shut her lips hard, rearranged her pretty
head-dress, drew one fascinating little curl down over her shoulder,
reknotted the pink