"Thunder! I'm ten times wuss now than I was then, and you know it,
Teresa. Didn't I coax and beg and hang on like a dog to a bone to git
you to come East with me to visit Frank?"

"It was the baby," breathed Teresa. "The question was to breeng the baby
or to leave eet with eets grand-fathaire. I know he take the most
splendeed care of eet. He have the nursees watch all the time, and he
watch heemself. He know how to care for the baby most beautiful."

"That's right," nodded Gallup, "the old don is a rappin' good baby nuss.
It's the funniest thing in the world to see him doddling round with a
baby in his arms. And to think that he used to be a red-hot
revolutionist, and called the Firebrand of Sonora! As a fighter, he was
a rip-tearer. As a baby nuss he's the greatest expert that ever wore
men's trousers."

"Begob, the don is all roight, all roight," agreed Barney. "The only
gint who iver downed him was Frankie Merriwell. Instid av layin' it up
against Frankie, and lookin' for revinge, the way people ginerally
suppose Mexicans and Spaniards do, the don shook hands, and became wan
av Frankie's bist friends."

Ephraim leaned forward to pat his wife's cheek.

"Your old dad is a jim-hickey, Terese," he said.

Juanita had been smiling, and now she laughed outright in a rippling,
musical manner.

"What ees eet you laugh at, Juanita?" demanded Teresa.

"Oh, eet ees the way the Yankee man he keep on making love," answered
the girl. "One time I theenk I despise every gringo. One time I theenk
maybe perhaps if I find one who have the great likeeng for me--eef he be
handsome, eef he be good--I theenk maybe--perhaps----"

"Oh! oh! oh!" cried Mrs. Gallup laughingly. "Eet ees the great change of
the mind. Maybe you meet lots of good-lookeeng young man at Senyor
Merriwell's. We make the marriage for you."

"Oh, no," protested Juanita. "That ees the way they do in Mexico. I like
the way the American girl do. She make her own marriage. She catch the
man she want. She not have to take the one her people say she must
marry. No one for me ees to make the match."

"Hooroo for you!" cried Barney. "Thot's the stuff! It's a diclaration of
indepindince! Oi wonder who'll be at the reunion, Ephie?"

"I dunno," answered Gallup, shaking his head. "Merry's telegram said
there'd be a lot of the old flock there. I'll be all-fired glad to see
'em. Wonder how the fellers have prospered. I hope they've all done as
well as we have, Barney."