, anyway, for a young person. What's more, the mother
shouldn't be allowed to dodge it. She can be made fit."

"How are you going to do it? Train her with harness and braces? Or moral
suasion--or the courts?"

"And I thought you hated it, couldn't bear to touch it," growled the baby
specialist.

"Did. But that's past tense. Since I fought for it, it's suddenly become
remarkably precious. And that's the precise feeling I'm testing up in the
lab."

"In the name of common sense what do you mean, Leerie?"

She patted his arm soothingly. "There, there. Go to bed; you're tuckered
out. Leave me alone for two months, and I'll tell you. And suppose you
write down that milk formula before you go; he's going to wake up as
fighting hungry as a little tiger-cat."

How the sanitarium took the news of the arrivals and the rumor of the
adoption, what they thought of the gorgeous and irresponsible senora and
Leerie's latest exploit, does not concern the story. It is enough to say
that tongues wagged abundantly; and when Sheila appeared some ten days
later in the pine grove wheeling a perambulator every one who was out and
could manufacture the flimsiest excuse for her curiosity hurried to the
carriage and thrust an inquisitive head under the hood. It seemed as if
hundreds blocked the walk from the pond to the rest-house.

"Bad as a circus parade," thought Sheila. "Can't stay here, or they'll put
us in a tent and ask admission." Then she spied Hennessy coming with his
platter of bread for the swans, and called to him. Somehow he managed to
scatter the crowd, and Sheila clung to the sleeve of his blue jumper as if
it had been so much cork to a man overboard. "Listen, Hennessy, I want to
take Pancho away from the San. You and Marm have a cozy place, and it's
far enough away. There's only the two of you. Can't you take us in?"

But Hennessy was likewise thrusting a head under the hood. "Honest to God,
Miss Leerie, is it human?"

"Hennessy, don't be an idiot!"

"But I saw the face on it--an' the scratchin' it did the day it was
fetched in. Does it still be scratchin'?"

"Sometimes." Sheila smiled faintly. "He hasn't had time yet to forget all
those shakings. Well, can we come?"

Hennessy eyed the perambulator fearsomely. "Have to ask Marm. Faith, do ye
think, now, if it had been human, its mother would have given it away same
as if it had been a young cat or dog too many in the litter?"

"Mothers don't have to love their babie