eljus, mamma--well, One-eye Beljus had Willie's name written down in a
book, an' he knew Genesis worked for fam'lies that have boys like Willie
in 'em, an' this morning One-eye Beljus showed Genesis Willie's name
written down in this book, an' One-eye Beljus asked Genesis if he knew
anybody by that name an' all about him. Well, an' so at first Genesis
pretended he was tryin' to remember, because he wanted to find out what
Willie went there for. Genesis didn't tell any stories, mamma; he
just pretended he couldn't remember, an' so, well, One-eye Beljus kept
talkin' an' pretty soon Genesis found out all about it. One-eye Beljus
said Willie came in there an' tried on the coat of one of those waiter
suits--"

"Oh no!" gasped Mrs. Baxter.

"Yes'm, an' One-eye Beljus said it was the only one that would fit
Willie, an' One-eye Beljus told Willie that suit was worth fourteen
dollars, an' Willie said he didn't have any money, but he'd like to
trade something else for it. Well, an' so One-eye Beljus said this was
an awful fine suit an' the only one he had that had b'longed to a white
gentleman. Well, an' so they bargained, an' bargained, an' bargained,
an' BARGAINED! An' then, well, an' so at last Willie said he'd go an'
get everything that b'longed to him, an' One-eye Beljus could pick out
enough to make fourteen dollars' worth, an' then Willie could have
the suit. Well, an' so Willie came home an' put everything he had that
b'longed to him into those two baskets, mamma--that's just what he
did, 'cause Genesis says he told One-eye Beljus it was everything that
b'longed to him, an' that would take two baskets, mamma. Well, then,
an' so he told One-eye Beljus to pick out fourteen dollars' worth, an'
One-eye Beljus ast Willie if he didn't have a watch. Well, Willie took
out his watch an' One-eye Beljus said it was an awful bad watch, but he
would put it in for a dollar; an' he said, 'I'll put your necktie pin
in for forty cents more,' so Willie took it out of his necktie an' then
One-eye Beljus said it would take all the things in the baskets to make
I forget how much, mamma, an' the watch would be a dollar more, an' the
pin forty cents, an' that would leave just three dollars an' sixty cents
more for Willie to pay before he could get the suit."

Mrs. Baxter's face had become suffused with high color, but she wished
to know all that Genesis had said, and, mastering her feelings with an
effort, she told Jane to proceed--a command