in the first place--or Adam's, rather,
because it might be argued that he should have been master. Some men are
too lazy to be masters in their own homes, and run the show properly;
some are too careless, and some too drunk most of their time, and some
too weak. If Adam and Eve hadn't tried to find out things there'd have
been no toil and trouble in the world to-day; there'd have been no
bloated capitalists, and no horny-handed working men, and no politics,
no freetrade and protection--and no clothes. The woman next door
wouldn't be able to pick holes in your wife's washing on the line. We'd
have been all running about in a big Garden of Eden with nothing on, and
nothing to do except loaf, and make love, and lark, and laugh, and play
practical jokes on each other."

Joe grinned.

"That would have been glorious. Wouldn't it, Joe? There'd have been no
'sex problem' then."

The Master's Mistake

William Spencer stayed away from school that hot day, and "went
swimming". The master wrote a note to William's father, and gave it to
William's brother Joe to carry home.

"You'll give that to your father to-night, Joseph."

"Yes, sir."

Bill waited for Joe near the gap, and walked home with him.

"I s'pose you've got a note for father."

"Yes," said Joe.

"I s'pose you know what's in it?"

"Ye--yes. Oh, why did you stop away, Bill?"

"You don't mean to say that you're dirty mean enough to give it to
father? Hey?"

"I must, Will. I promised the master."

"He needn't never know."

"Oh, yes, he will. He's coming over to our place on Saturday, and he's
sure to ask me to-morrow."

Pause.

"Look here, Joe!" said Bill, "I don't want to get a hiding and go
without supper to-night. I promised to go 'possuming with Johnny
Nowlett, and he's going to give me a fire out of his gun. You can come,
too. I don't want to cop out on it to-night--if I do I'll run away from
home again, so there."

Bill walked on a bit in moody, Joe in troubled, silence.

Bill tried again: he threatened, argued, and pleaded, but Joe was firm.
"The master trusted me, Will," he said.

"Joe," said Bill at last, after a long pause, "I wouldn't do it to you."

Joe was troubled.

"I wouldn't do it to you, Joe."

Joe thought how Bill had stood up and fought for him only last week.

"I'd tear the note in bits; I'd tell a hundred lies; I'd take a dozen
hidings first, Joe--I would."

Joe was greatly troubled. His chest heaved, and t