on my knees and wipe their little shoes on my trousers, bless
their hearts! To little David, named after me, I was bringing a bat and
baseball mitt, with some tin soldiers. He is now six years old and
permitted to blow his own nose under his mother's supervision. The pride
he takes in this accomplishment is rather touching.

A large box of candies would permit the others to share in my largess,
and I arrived at the top of the Palisades laden like a commuter. After
the many embraces, my expert advice was sought in regard to the proposed
location of an abominable bronze stag, purchased cheap at an auction,
and the thirst I was supposed to be dying from was slaked with homemade
root beer. Thereafter, I was taken for a walk and made to inspect a new
house under construction, that was being erected by an individual who is
godfather to little Philippa. Upon our return, the scratchy phonograph
was called upon to contribute to the general entertainment, my sister
constantly running in and out of the parlor to the kitchen, where a
perspiring straw-headed Swede toiled at the forthcoming dinner.

From this I arose at last, quite happy and slightly dyspeptic. In honor
of the day the children were allowed an extra half-hour of grace before
being driven off to bed. After peace reigned upstairs, I was consulted
at length in regard to my views concerning the future prospects of the
sewing-machine trade, in which John is interested, while my sister
requested my opinion as to an Easter hat. I finally left, after
contributing the wherewithal for a family visit to the circus, and John
was so good as to accompany me all the way to the trolley tracks.

They are lovable, dear people, prudent in their expenditure in order
that their offspring may be well brought up, and happy in their modest
and useful lives. If I were only a successful writer, a maker of best
sellers, I should rejoice in the ability to help them carry out their
plans and achieve their reasonable ambitions. As it is, I can only
assist Santa Claus in his yearly mission and try, at various time, to
bring extra little rays of sunshine to them.

As the trolley and ferryboat brought me home, I had the feeling that the
night was far advanced and that I had been on a long journey which
rendered the prospect of bed and slumber a highly desirable one. But
once in the embrace of the big city, I realized that it was but the
shank of the evening and that the hurried life of the town, m