t. "Niaggery! Niaggery!
Chug! chug! chug!"

Mrs. Kukor spread out both hands in a comprehensive gesture. "See?" she
asked. "Oh, I haf listen. The chair goes roundt and roundt, und much
water wass runnink in the sink. It wass for Grandpa, und--it takes
time."

Barber's dark face relaxed a little. It could not truthfully be said of
him that he was a bad son; and any excuse that offered his father as its
reason invariably softened him. He pulled himself to his feet and picked
up the lunch pail and the cargo hook. "Well--all right," he conceded.
"But I said t' myself, 'I'll bet that kid ain't workin'.' So havin' a'
hour, I come home t' see. And how'd he git on yesterday, makin' vi'lets
for y'?"

"Ach!"--this, an exclamation of impatience, was aimed at herself. "I
wass forgettink!" Under her apron hung a long, slender, black bag. Out
of it she took a twenty-five-cent piece and offered the coin to Barber.
"For yesttady," she added.

"Thank y'." He took the quarter. "Glad the kid done his work."

"Oh, sure he do!" protested Mrs. Kukor. "Pos-i-tiv-vle!" (Mrs. Kukor
could also be guilty of self-deception.)

Now, Barber raised his voice a little: "Johnnie, let's see how quick you
can straighten this place up."

At that, Mrs. Kukor waved both hands in eloquent signals, urging Big Tom
to go; tapped her chest, winked, and made little clicking noises with
her tongue--all to denote the fact that she would see everything
straightened up to perfection, but that for old Grandpa's sake further
conversation with Johnnie might be a mistake, since weeping all around
would surely break out again. So Barber, muttering something about
leaving her a clear coast, scuffed his way out.

As the hall door closed, Johnnie buried his small nose in Cis's pillow.
He was wounded in pride rather than in body. He hated to be found on the
floor at the toe of Big Tom's boot. He had listened to the conversation
while lying face downward on Cis's bed but with his head raised like a
turtle's. However, it seemed best, somehow, not to be found in that
position by Mrs. Kukor. He must not take his ill-treatment lightly, nor
recover from his hurts too quick. He decided to be prone and prostrated.
When the little Jewish lady came swaying in to him, therefore, he was
stretched flat, his yellow head motionless.

The sight smote Mrs. Kukor. In all the five years he had lived at the
Barber flat, she had continually watched over him, plying him with
medicine, p