reat show of firmness:

"That's what I told Plums; but I didn't mean to spring it on the old
woman quite so sudden."

"Do you really mean it?"

"Course I do; I ain't such a fool as to let a chance like this go by me.
I've got her where she can't help herself, now, an' we'll see who'll--"

Dan did not conclude the threat, for, regardless of aunt Dorcas's
presence, Joe leaped from the table, and seized the pretended detective
by the throat, forcing him back against the wall.

With a cry of fear, aunt Dorcas sprang to her feet, and would have gone
to Dan's relief, but that Plums, moving more quickly than he had ever
been known to move before, stepped directly in front of her, as he said,
imploringly:

"Now, don't mix into this row, 'cause it wouldn't be fair. I knew pretty
well what Joe would do, after I'd told him how Dan was countin' on
gettin' pay for his paper, an' if he hadn't gone for the duffer, I'd had
to do it myself."

"But I can't have any quarrelling in this house. Why, George, I'd rather
never see a paper in my life than to have a right-down fight here!"

"There won't be any fight, aunt Dorcas," Plums said, with a smile,
"'cause Joe will chew him all up before he can wink."

Brief as this conversation had been, before it came to an end there was
no longer any employment for a peacemaker.

Joe had shaken the amateur detective until he was glad to give up the
worthless newspaper, and, before aunt Dorcas could step past Plums,
Master Fernald was literally thrown out of the kitchen door.

"I'll have every perliceman in New York City here before you're an hour
older!" he screamed, shaking his fist in impotent wrath when he was at a
safe distance.

"Go ahead, an' do what you can, an' when it's all over I'll finish
servin' you out for talkin' as you did to aunt Dorcas!" Joe replied,
after which he closed the door and resumed his seat at the table, as if
nothing unusual had occurred.

"Now you can see the advertisement," Plums said, as he handed the paper
to the little woman; but she hesitated about taking it.

"It seems as if we had robbed that poor boy," she said, in distress. "I
do wish, Joseph, that you hadn't been so hasty."

"Now don't fret over the sneak, aunt Dorcas, 'cause he ain't worth it.
Robbed him of nothin'! What was the paper good for to him? Yet he
counted on makin' you do as he said for the sake of gettin' it."

"Last night I wanted him to come here, an' thought Joe was kind er har