yes and a hurried, trottin' walk like a duck
makin' for a pond. Her chief aim in life seems to be to be better posted
on your affairs than you are yourself, and, of course, that keeps her
reasonably busy. Also she's a lady gusher from Gushville. Now, I don't
object to havin' a conversational gum drop tossed at me once in a while,
sort of offhand and casual. But that ain't Mrs. Buttinski's method. She
feeds you raw molasses with a mixin' spoon. Just smears you with it.

"Isn't it perfectly wonderful," says she, waddlin' in fussy, "that your
dear darling little son should be two years old? Do you know, Mrs.
Robert Ellins just told me of what an important day it was in the lives
of you two charming young people, so I came right over to congratulate
you. And here I discover you all together in your beautiful little home,
proud father and all. How fortunate!"

As she's beamin' straight at me I has to give her some comeback. "Yes,
you're lucky, all right," says I. "Another minute and you wouldn't found
me here, for I was just----"

Which is where I gets a frown and a back-up signal from Vee. She don't
like Mrs. Proctor Butt a bit more'n I do but she ain't so frank about
lettin' her know it.

"Oh, please don't run away," begs Mrs. Butt. "You make such an ideal
young couple. As I tell Mr. Butt, I just can't keep my eyes off you two
whenever I see you out together."

"I'm sure that's nice of you to say so," says Vee, blushin'.

"Oh, every one thinks the same of you, my dear," says the lady. "Only I
simply can't keep such things to myself. I have such an impulsive
nature. And I adore young people and children, positively adore them.
And now where is the darling little baby that I haven't seen for months
and months? You'll forgive my running in at this unseasonable hour, I
know, but I just couldn't wait another day to--oh, there he is, the
darling cherub! And isn't that a picture for an artist?"

He'd have to be some rapid-fire paint slinger if he was to use 'Ikky-boy
as a model just then for him and Buddy was havin' a free-for-all mix-up
behind the davenport that nothing short of a movie camera would have
done justice to.

"Oh, you darling little fellow!" she gurgles on. "I must hold you in my
arms just a moment. Please, mother mayn't I?"

"I--I'm afraid you would find him rather a lively armful just now,"
warns Vee. "You see, when he gets to playing with Buddy he's apt to----"

"Oh, I sha'n't mind a bit," says Mrs. Bu