ualified to do nothing in the world but
make cheroots.

After all, could anything more suitable happen to her than that she
should take a fancy to Jem Noonan, the upstanding, square-jawed,
taciturn youth who had appeared at the Dabney House in his Sunday blacks
one night in May, and had reappeared regularly once a week since? Noonan
was master of his trade at twenty-one, a lodge man, an attendant at ward
meetings, and laying by money to embark as a contractor; he bade fair to
be a power some day. And, though he seemed to be almost completely dumb,
there must be something uncommon in him that he should be so drawn to
the gay, dreaming little creature who was so clearly made of other clay
than his....

"I haven't seen Jem for some time," said the doctor aloud, casually.
"How are you and he getting on these days?"

Kern gave an impish little exclamation: she never liked for Mr. V.V. to
mention Jem.

"Him and me mostly get off!... Him and _I_ mostly get off...."

And then she giggled briefly, and sprang up with eyes too bright and
went skipping and kicking for the detached kitchen to see if there was
any hot lightbread.

But she flung over her shoulder as she vanished: "Jem he lacks
'magination...."

Returning with rolls, the small diplomat reverted to the question of the
Mouldform Garment, which, it seemed to be settled, Mr. V.V. was to
purchase on the morrow. Kern's endeavor was to convey the idea that, in
cases such as this, many men ever made it a practice to keep the old
suit by, like for rainy days, and under no circumstances to give it away
to the first person comes along and asts them for it. Clearly the
reference here was to her father, the erring Mister, who had appeared at
the Dabney House in June's first blush and was now (it was presumable)
wearing Mr. V.V.'s derby down many a sunny lane.

"And the shirts they got at the One-Price Company!" cooed Kern. "And the
shoes!... Lor, them people're givin' away stock awmost!..."

However, Mr. V.V. did not purchase shoes and shirts next day, or even a
Genuine Mouldform Garment. For that day was Tuesday, July 17th, the day
when the professional mercury in the Government "kiosk" set its new
record, which was like to stand for many years. One hundred and one it
announced, not without a touch of pride; and that day Ours was the
hottest city in the United States (some said in the world), and many
private thermometers showed one hundred and four, five, and six. And