bsolutely at
one in this--their utter disapproval of boys.

Fred and Teddy had always felt in his presence that they ought to
apologize for being alive.

But, if Aaron did not go so far as that, he at least resented the fact
that they were so very much alive. Their noise offended him, and their
pranks irritated him. Their boisterousness got on his nerves.

The bringing up of the boys had always been a bone of contention between
Aaron and their parents. If their birth, in Aaron's view, had been a
misfortune, the way they were reared was nothing less than an outrage.

He never tired of storming at what he regarded as the lax and careless
way in which the boys were allowed to do largely as they pleased. He
magnified and distorted their boyish scrapes, until he had really
convinced himself that they were headed straight for destruction, unless
brought up with a round turn.

As a matter of fact, with all their faults, there were no finer boys in
Oldtown.

Mr. and Mrs. Rushton, although conscious that they were perhaps a little
too easy going, had always defended their methods good-naturedly. What
especially irritated Aaron was their calm assumption that he did not
know what he was talking about, because he had no children of his own,
and their sly thrusts at the perfection of "bachelors' children" made
him "froth at the mouth."

To-night, though, he had rather the advantage.

So he had been an old crank, had he? He hadn't known what he was talking
about! He had made too much of the boys' little foibles! Well, what did
they have to say now, now that through their younger son's
tomfoolishness, his pigheadedness, his criminal carelessness, his--there
were so many good words that Aaron hardly knew which to choose, but
lingered lovingly over them all--he had come within a hair's breadth of
causing his uncle's death. Perhaps now they'd listen to his opinions
with the respect they deserved.

The argument was with him for once, beyond a doubt. He had the whip
hand, and he fairly reveled in his opportunity. In his heart, he was
almost thankful to Teddy for having given him this advantage over the
parents.

They, on their part, were sad and mostly silent. They had really been
greatly shocked by the serious results that might have followed this
latest prank of Teddy's. They realized, however, the lack of malicious
motive behind the act, and they knew that Aaron was failing to take this
into account as much as he ought to h