uated, or, rather, regularly
interrupted, the morning program of work. And bath water took the place
of the scrubbing water in the tub directly the floor was mopped up. Then
Johnnie could not deny himself the pleasure of showing himself to Mrs.
Kukor while he still bore evidences of his unwonted, and unspotted,
state. Blowing and excited, and looking yellower than usual, he
displayed his freshly washed neck, a fringe of wet hair, and a pair of
soapy ears. "And ain't I shiney as a plate?" he demanded. "It's my
second in two days!"

She turned him round and round, marveling. "Pos-i-tivvle!" she declared.

For a very long time Johnnie had been making a point of skimping the
Saturday noon meal, this because Barber came home to eat it.
Furthermore, as hot biscuits and gravy made a combination dish of which
the longshoreman was particularly fond, Johnnie had seen to it that hot
biscuits and gravy did not appear on the table except rarely. But this
Saturday his inner man was demanding more food than usual. His appetite
was coming up, exactly as Mr. Perkins had said it would! So Johnnie set
about preparing a good dinner.

He used a cup of Grandpa's milk for biscuit-dough. And when the
biscuits--two dozen of them--were browning nicely in the oven, he
concocted a generous supply of bacon-grease gravy, and set it to boiling
creamily. There were boiled potatoes, too, and two quarts of strong tea.
Not only because he was hungry, but also because he dreaded to let Big
Tom know just how hungry he was, Johnnie ate half of his dinner before
the others returned. At the regular meal, he ate his ordinary amount.

"Gee! Water and air'll fix me all right!" he boasted to Cis. "Who'd ever
b'lieve it!" He was too happy even to fret about One-Eye.

"Haven't I advised you lots of times to wash yourself all over?" she
reminded him. "My! I'd bathe if all I had to bathe in was a teacup! And
now I've a mind to start in on the exercises!" She was too pleased over
the change in him to bring up just then the matter of that first bath.

There was no mistake about Johnnie's improving. Mr. Perkins noted it the
moment he stepped through the door one morning early in the next week.
He had brought with him a quart-bottle of delicious, fresh milk, and
Johnnie drank it, slowly, cup by cup, as they talked. What had helped
most, Mr. Perkins declared, was the open window at night, the fresh air.
And Johnnie must have even more fresh air.

"But how're we goi