ng
men, he solemnly presented the doll to Bangs.

"What's this?" asked Rodney, with a friendly impulse to adapt his
conversation to the young.

"Hullen," affirmed Samuel, "Hullen, R. J."

"What does that mean?" Bangs appealed to Sonya.

"It's the doll's name. He gave it to her himself. 'Hullen,' I suppose,
means Helen, and Mr. Warren's initials, you know, are R. J. Evidently
Samuel liked the sound of them."

Samuel retrieved Hullen R. J.

"Hullen R. J. go hos'tl wiv Sammy," he further announced.

"She will," corroborated Sonya. "He never stirs without her, and she
sleeps in his bed every night."

Laurie turned a shocked gaze on Samuel, and Sonya laughed, then gulped.

"I'm horribly nervous this morning," she admitted. "I wish it were over.
You see, a certain cherub isn't going to like matters at all after they
really begin at the hos'tl. And his mother will be more of a burden than
a help."

Bangs had an inspiration.

"Suppose I go with you," he suggested. "Then if you need a strong man to
hold the cherub--"

"Two strong men," corrected Laurie. "Do you imagine that I'm going to
desert Samuel in his hour of need? Besides, I've got to keep an eye on
Bangs," he added sweetly, and was rewarded by a glare from that
overwrought young man.

"Noticed anything odd about Bangs lately?" Laurie asked Sonya.

She turned on Rodney the dark gaze of her serene eyes.

"Why, no."

"You will," Laurie predicted, with a mournful shake of the head. "Watch
him closely, and call on me if there are alarming symptoms that you
don't understand."

Bangs rushed into confused speech.

"He thinks I've got a cold," he gulped. "His nonsense, of course.
Nothing in the world the matter with me. Er--how soon do we start?"

Laurie, helpless with laughter, rolled the ecstatic Samuel on the floor.
Samuel's voice took on an added note of jubilation. Sonya, his mother,
Hullen R. J., "Lawwie" and "Misser Bangs" all going with him to the
hos'tl--it was almost too much pleasure! Samuel became slightly
intoxicated.

"He wants to sing," remarked Laurie, with masculine understanding of a
fellow heart. "All right, old man," he encouraged. "How about that
beautiful hymn I taught you at Bab's wedding?"

With considerable help Samuel recalled the ditty:

"Hey, hey, ve gangsall here,
Whalahaloo we care,
Whalahaloo we care,
Now--_wow_--wow--WOW--_WOW_!"

"Laurie!"

Sonya spoke with sudden austerity. "It's a relief from his me