"I COULDN'T believe he'd do
such a thing, but he really is in a PREPOSTEROUS way over this little
Miss Pratt, and he DID have that money--"

"By George!" Mr. Baxter got upon his feet. "The way he talked at dinner,
I could come pretty near believing he hasn't any more brains LEFT than
to get married on nine dollars and eighty-five cents! I wouldn't put it
past him! By George, I wouldn't!"

"Oh, I don't think he would," she remonstrated, feebly. "Besides, the
law wouldn't permit it."

Mr. Baxter paced the floor. "Oh, I suppose they COULD manage it. They
could go to some little town and give false ages and--" He broke off.
"Adelia was sure he had his suit-case?"

She nodded. "Do you think we'd better go down to the Parchers'? We'd
just say we came to call, of course, and if--"

"Get your hat on," he said. "I don't think there's anything in it at
all, but we'd just as well drop down there. It can't HURT anything."

"Of course, I don't think--" she began.

"Neither do I," he interrupted, irascibly. "But with a boy of his age
crazy enough to think he's in love, how do WE know what 'll happen?
We're only his parents! Get your hat on."

But when the uneasy couple found themselves upon the pavement before
the house of the Parchers, they paused under the shade-trees in the
darkness, and presently decided that it was not necessary to go in.
Suddenly their uneasiness had fallen from them. From the porch came
the laughter of several young voices, and then one silvery voice, which
pretended to be that of a tiny child.

"Oh, s'ame! S'ame on 'oo, big Bruvva Josie-Joe! Mus' be polite to Johnny
Jump-up, or tant play wiv May and Lola!"

"That's Miss Pratt," whispered Mrs. Baxter. "She's talking to Johnnie
Watson and Joe Bullitt and May Parcher. Let's go home; it's all right.
Of course I knew it would be."

"Why, certainly," said Mr. Baxter, as they turned. "Even if Willie were
as crazy as that, the little girl would have more sense. I wouldn't have
thought anything of it, if you hadn't told me about the suit-case. That
looked sort of queer."

She agreed that it did, but immediately added that she had thought
nothing of it. What had seemed more significant to her was William's
interest in the early marriage of Genesis's father, and in the Iowa
beard story, she said. Then she said that it WAS curious about the
suit-case.

And when they came to their own house again, there was William sitting
alone and silent upon the steps