confessed,
unhappily. "Your father's so upset about--about this new step he's
taking--I don't feel as if we ought to----"

"No, no!" Alice cried. "Papa mustn't be distressed with this, on top of
everything else. But SOMETHING'S got to be done about Walter."

"What can be?" her mother asked, helplessly. "What can be?"

Alice admitted that she didn't know.

At dinner, an hour later, Walter's habitually veiled glance lifted,
now and then, to touch her furtively;--he was waiting, as he would have
said, for her to "spring it"; and he had prepared a brief and sincere
defense to the effect that he made his own living, and would like
to inquire whose business it was to offer intrusive comment upon his
private conduct. But she said nothing, while his father and mother were
as silent as she. Walter concluded that there was to be no attack, but
changed his mind when his father, who ate only a little, and broodingly
at that, rose to leave the table and spoke to him.

"Walter," he said, "when you've finished I wish you'd come up to my
room. I got something I want to say to you."

Walter shot a hard look at his apathetic sister, then turned to his
father. "Make it to-morrow," he said. "This is Satad'y night and I got a
date."

"No," Adams said, frowning. "You come up before you go out. It's
important."

"All right; I've had all I want to eat," Walter returned. "I got a few
minutes. Make it quick."

He followed his father upstairs, and when they were in the room together
Adams shut the door, sat down, and began to rub his knees.

"Rheumatism?" the boy inquired, slyly. "That what you want to talk to me
about?"

"No." But Adams did not go on; he seemed to be in difficulties for
words, and Walter decided to help him.

"Hop ahead and spring it," he said. "Get it off your mind: I'll tell the
world _I_ should worry! You aren't goin' to bother ME any, so why bother
yourself? Alice hopped home and told you she saw me playin' around with
some pretty gay-lookin' berries and you----"

"Alice?" his father said, obviously surprised. "It's nothing about
Alice."

"Didn't she tell you----"

"I haven't talked with her all day."

"Oh, I see," Walter said. "She told mother and mother told you."

"No, neither of 'em have told me anything. What was there to tell?"

Walter laughed. "Oh, it's nothin'," he said. "I was just startin' out
to buy a girl friend o' mine a rhinestone buckle I lost to her on a bet,
this afternoon, and Alic