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

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

"What's the trouble, Aggie?" asked Alfred, and he nodded toward the
telephone.

"Oh, just some woman with the wrong address," answered Aggie with
affected carelessness. "You'd better let me take the babies now,
Alfred."

"Take them where?" asked Alfred with surprise.

"To bed," answered Aggie sweetly, "they are going to sleep in the next
room with Jimmy and me." She laid a d