you go an' get sarcastic. It don't suit you;
besides, there's no occasion for it,--for I do my best to keep it down,
but I'm so choke full of it that a word or two will spurt up now and
then in spite o' me."

Mrs Willders smiled and continued her patching; Willie grinned and
continued his supper.

"Mother," said Willie, after an interval of silence.

"Well, my son?"

"What d'ye think the old feller--ah! I mean fellow--is up to just now?"

"I don't know, Willie."

"He's inventin' a calc'latin' machine, as is to do anythin' from simple
addition to fractions, an' he says if it works well he'll carry it on to
algebra an' mathematics, up to the fizmal calc'lus, or somethin' o' that
sort. Oh, you've no notion how he strains himself at it. He sits down
in his shirt-sleeves at a writin'-table he's got in a corner, an' tears
away at the little hair he has on the sides of his head (I do believe he
tore it all off the top with them inventions), then he bangs up an'
seizes his tools, and shouts, `Look here, Willie, hold on!' an' goes
sawin' and chisellin' and hammerin' away like a steam-engine. He's all
but bu'st himself over that calc'latin' machine, and I'm much afraid
that he'll clap Chips into the sausage-machine some day, just to see how
it works. I hope he won't, for Chips an' I are great friends, though
we've only bin a month together."

"I hope he's a good man," said Mrs Willders thoughtfully.

"Well, I'm sure he must be!" cried Willie with enthusiasm, "for he is
very kind to me, and also to many poor folk that come about him
regularly. I'm gettin' to know their faces now, and when to expect 'em.
He always takes 'em into his back room--all sorts, old men and old
women an' children, most of 'em seedy enough, but some of 'em well off
to _look_ at. What he says to 'em I don't know, but they usually come
out very grave, an go away thankin' him, and sayin' they won't forget
his advice. If the advice is to come back soon they certainly _don't_
forget it! And he's a great philosopher, too, mother, for he often
talks to me about my int'lec's. He said jist t'other day, `Willie,'
said he, `get into a habit o' usin' yer brains, my boy. The Almighty
put us into this world well-made machines, intended to be used in all
our parts. Now, you'll find thousands of people who use their muscles
and neglect their brains, and thousands of others who use their brains
and neglect their muscles. Both are wrong, boy; we're mac