almost tender. "How'd you come to marry Pa,
anyway? You and him's so different."

The nymph in Ma leaped to the surface and stayed there a moment,
sparkling, laughing, dimpling. "Oh, I dunno. I kept running away and he
kept running after. Like that."

He looked up again quickly at that. "Yeh. That's it. Fella don't like to
have no girl chasing him all the time. Say, he likes to do the chasing
himself. Ain't that the truth?"

"You _tell_ 'em!" agreed Ma. A great jovial laugh shook her.
Heavy-footed now, but light of heart.

Suddenly: "I'm thinking of going to night school. Learn something. I
don't know nothing."

"You do, too, Dewey!"

"Aw, wha'd I know? I never had enough schooling. Wished I had."

"Who's doings was it? You wouldn't stay. Wouldn't go no more than sixth
reader and quit. Nothing wouldn't get you to go."

He agreed gloomily. "I know it. I don't know what nothing is.
Uh--Arcadia--or--now--vitality or nothing."

"Oh, that comes easy," she encouraged him, "when you begin once."

He reached for her hand gratefully. "You're a swell cook, Ma." He had a
sudden burst of generosity, of tenderness. "Soon's the bus is fixed I'll
take you joy-riding over to the lake."

Ma always wore a boudoir cap of draggled lace and ribbon for motoring.
Nick almost never offered her a ride. She did not expect him to.

She pushed him playfully. "Go on! You got plenty young girls to take
riding, not your ma."

"Oh, girls!" he said, scornfully. Then in another tone: "Girls."

He was off. It was almost seven. Pa was late. He caught a car back to
Fifty-third Street. Elmer was lounging in the cool doorway of the
garage. Nick, in sheer exuberance of spirits, squared off, doubled his
fists, and danced about Elmer in a semicircle, working his arms as a
prizefighter does, warily. He jabbed at Elmer's jaw playfully.

"What you been doing," inquired that long-suffering gentleman, "makes
you feel so good? Where you been?"

"Oh, nowheres. Bumming round. Park."

He turned in the direction of the stairway. Elmer lounged after him.
"Oh, say, dame's been calling you for the last hour and a half. Like to
busted the phone. Makes me sick."

"Aw, Bauers."

"No, that wasn't the name. Name's Mary or Berry, or something like that.
A dozen times, I betcha. Says you was to call her as soon as you come
in. Drexel 47--wait a min't'--yeh--that's right--Drexel 473----"

"Swell chanst," said Nick. Suddenly his buoyancy was gone. His shoul