persisted.

"When poppa's done the chores."

"Ah!"

He felt himself on the wrong tack, and cast about for a fresh line of
argument.

"Guess you kiddies like bed some," he hazarded doubtfully.

"Me like m'lasses," piped Jamie, who had managed to get the pup's tail
over his shoulder, and was hanging on to it with both hands. Vada
shrieked as the pup began to yelp.

"Oh, look at Jamie," she cried. "He's pulling Dougal's tail right out.
You're a naughty, naughty boy."

"Not naughty," protested Jamie, pulling harder.

Sunny reached down and released the mongrel, who promptly turned round
and licked the boy's face. Jamie fought him with his little clenched
fists, and finally began to cry.

Again Sunny went to the rescue, and with some difficulty peace was
restored. Then he went back to his subject.

"Guess we'll hev to go to bed right now," he suggested, with an air of
authority.

"Momma ain't back," said Vada, her eyes round and wondering.

"She'll be right along presently," lied Sunny.

"'Ess," declared Jamie, "an'--an'--we go find 'piders an'--an' bugs."

Vada nodded.

"Lots an' lots."

"That's to-morrow," said Sunny, taking his cue wonderingly.

"Poppa ain't back neither," protested Vada.

"He's gone visitin'," said Sunny. "Maybe he'll be late. Guess he's
havin' a hand at poker down at the store."

Sunny was getting uncomfortably hot. Lies came easily enough to him in
the ordinary way, but with these poor children it was somehow
different.

"Poppa don't play poker," defended Vada. "On'y wicked men does."

"'Ess," agreed Jamie.

"That's so." Sunny felt himself on dangerous ground.

He smoked on thoughtfully for some moments. He felt that a desperate
move was required, and considered how best to make it. Finally he
resolved that he must assert his authority. So, setting Vada on the
ground, he stood up.

"Bed," he said, with a great assumption of finality.

Vada's eyes rolled ominously, and a pucker came to her little sunburnt
brow. Jamie offered no preliminary, but howled at once. And when,
after the slightest hesitation, Vada joined in his lament, Sunny's
distress became pitiable. However, he managed to ease his feelings by
several well-directed mental curses at Wild Bill's head, and all those
others concerned in reducing him to his present position. And with
this silently furious outburst there came a brain-wave of great
magnitude.

"First in bed sure gets most m'lasses," he cried, dart