eater part of the day to a sympathetic interest in Mrs.
Montgomery's fortunes, now had leisure for their own affairs.

"Why didn't you send for me sooner?" demanded the little man with some
asperity. "No sense in having your things put out like this when you
only got to put them back again!"

"If Joe was only here this would never have happened!" said Mrs.
Montgomery, giving way to copious tears.

But Mr. Shrimplin seemed not so sure of this. The settling of the
handy-man's difficulties had been one of the few extravagances he had
permitted himself. His glance now fell on the small occupant of the
decrepit baby carriage, and he gave a start of astonishment.

"Lord!" he ejaculated, pointing to the child. "You don't mean to tell me
that's yours, too?"

"Three weeks next Sunday," said Mrs. Montgomery.

"Another one,--well, I don't wonder you've kept still about it! What's
the use of bringing children into the world when you can't half take
care of 'em?"

"I didn't keep still about it,--only I had so much to worry me!" said
Nellie, with a shadowy sort of resentment at the little lamplighter's
words and manner.

"It's a nice-looking baby!" admitted Mr. Shrimplin, relenting.

"It's a boy, see--he's got his father's eyes and nose--"

"I don't know about the eyes, but the nose is a durn sight whiter than
Joe's! Maybe, though, when it's Joe's age it will use the same brand of
paint."

"What you got it in for Joe for? He never done nothing to you!" said
Joe's wife, with palpable offense.

"He ought to be stood up and lammed over the head with a club!" observed
Mr. Shrimplin, with considerable acrimony of tone. "You'd have thought
that being a witness would have made a man out of Joe if anything
would,--and how does he act? Why, he lights out; he gets to be good for
something beside soaking up whisky and spoiling his insides, and he
skips the town; now if that ain't a devil of a way for him to act, I'd
like to know what you call it!"

"He was a good man--" declared Mrs. Montgomery with conviction. "A good
man, but unfortunate!"

"Well, if he suits you, Nellie--"

"He does!"

"I'm glad of it," retorted Mr. Shrimplin, taking a chew of tobacco. "For
I don't reckon he'd ever suit any one else!"

"You and none of my family never liked Joe!" said Mrs. Montgomery.

"Well, why should we?" demanded Mr. Shrimplin impatiently.

"Your wife,--my own sister, too,--said he should never darken her door,
and he was that pr