ean to keep
BOTH of them?"

"I certainly DO," said Zoie.

"What?" cried Aggie and Jimmy in concert.

"Jimmy has presented Alfred with twins," continued Zoie testily, "and
now, he has to HAVE twins."

Jimmy's eyes were growing rounder and rounder.

"Do you know," continued Zoie, with a growing sense of indignation,
"what would happen to me if I told Alfred NOW that he WASN'T the father
of twins? He'd fly straight out of that door and I'd never see him
again."

Aggie admitted that Zoie was no doubt speaking the truth.

"Jimmy has awakened Alfred's paternal instinct for twins," declared
Zoie, with another emphatic nod of her head, "and now Jimmy must take
the consequences."

Jimmy tried to frame a few faint objections, but Zoie waved him aside,
with a positive air. "It's no use arguing. If it were only ONE, it
wouldn't be so bad, but to tell Alfred that he's lost twins, he couldn't
live through it."

"But Zoie," argued Aggie, "we can't have that mother hanging around down
stairs until that baby is an old man. She'll have us arrested, the next
thing."

"Why arrest US?" asked Zoie, with wide baby eyes. "WE didn't take it.
Old slow-poke took it." And she nodded toward the now utterly vanquished
Jimmy.

"That's right," murmured Jimmy, with a weak attempt at sarcasm, "don't
leave me out of anything good."

"It doesn't matter WHICH one she arrests," decided the practical Aggie.

"Well, it matters to me," objected Zoie.

"And to me too, if it's all the same to you," protested Jimmy.

"Whoever it is," continued Aggie, "the truth is bound to come out.
Alfred will have to know sooner or later, so we might as well make a
clean breast of it, first as last."

"That's the first sensible thing you've said in three months," declared
Jimmy with reviving hope.

"Oh, is that so?" sneered Zoie, and she levelled her most malicious look
at Jimmy. "What do you think Alfred would do to YOU, Mr. Jimmy, if he
knew the truth? YOU'RE the one who sent him the telegram; you are the
one who told him that he was a FATHER."

"That's true," admitted Aggie, with a wrinkled forehead.

Zoie was quick to see her advantage. She followed it up. "And Alfred
hasn't any sense of humour, you know."

"How could he have?" groaned Jimmy; "he's married." And with that he
sank into his habitual state of dumps.

"Your sarcasm will do a great deal of good," flashed Zoie. Then she
dismissed him with a nod, and crossed to her dressing table.

"