ce, "take that bundle of rags down to the hotel office and have
that woman hystericing all over me. No, thanks."

"Oh well," answered Aggie, distracted by the persistent ringing of the
'phone, "then hold him a minute until I answer the 'phone."

This at least was a compromise, and reluctantly Jimmy allowed the now
wailing infant to be placed in his arms.

"Jig it, Jimmy, jig it," cried Zoie. Jimmy looked down helplessly at
the baby's angry red face, but before he had made much headway with the
"jigging," Aggie returned to them, much excited by the message which she
had just received over the telephone.

"That mother is making a scene down stairs in the office," she said.

"You hear," chided Zoie, in a fury at Jimmy, "what did Aggie tell you?"

"If she wants this thing," maintained Jimmy, looking down at the bundle
in his arms, "she can come after it."

"We can't have her up here," objected Aggie.

"Alfred may be back at any minute. He'd catch her. You know what
happened the last time we tried to change them."

"You can send it down the chimney, for all I care," concluded Jimmy.

"I have it!" exclaimed Aggie, her face suddenly illumined.

"Oh Lord," groaned Jimmy, who had come to regard any elation on Zoie's
or Aggie's part as a sure forewarner of ultimate discomfort for him.

Again Aggie had recourse to the 'phone.

"Hello," she called to the office boy, "tell that woman to go around to
the back door, and we'll send something down to her." There was a slight
pause, then Aggie added sweetly, "Yes, tell her to wait at the foot of
the fire-escape."

Zoie had already caught the drift of Aggie's intention and she now fixed
her glittering eyes upon Jimmy, who was already shifting about uneasily
and glancing at Aggie, who approached him with a business-like air.

"Now, dear," said Aggie, "come with me. I'll hand Baby out through the
bathroom window and you can run right down the fire-escape with him."

"If I do run down the fire-escape," exclaimed Jimmy, wagging his large
head from side to side, "I'll keep right on RUNNING. That's the last
you'll ever see of me."

"But, Jimmy," protested Aggie, slightly hurt by his threat, "once that
woman gets her baby you'll have no more trouble."

"With you two still alive?" asked Jimmy, looking from one to the other.

"She'll be up here if you don't hurry," urged Aggie impatiently, and
with that she pulled Jimmy toward the bedroom door.

"Let her come," said Jimmy, pl