k! Ugh! Ugh! I'm just dying to thr'up! Please
get the hot water and things, quick!"

"And are you feelin' sick, you poor lamb," Effie crooned,
compassionately, as she rushed about making preparations. "Now,
dearie----"

"Effie, make Willie Jones go out first."

"Whoop!" shouted Effie, turning upon Willie with brandished arms.

"Wait, Effie, wait a minute! Tell him when his mother pays him, he can
bring over my nickel, and if I'm not here he can give it to you."

"Do you hear that, now?" Effie demanded roughly, pushing Willie out by
the shoulder and closing the door.

"Now, then, darlint, just drink this down. That's right. Drink it all.
Now swally yir little hand. That's right. That's right. Oh, now yir
goin' a-feel fine! Now ye'll soon be a well girl. Once again. That's
right. That's right. . . . It's just a good thing to get rid of all that
nasty old stuff, ain't it, now? . . ."

When this part of Margery's illness was attended to, Effie bathed her
finger, extracted the sting, and in a short time had her feeling
delightfully convalescent.

"And, Effie," Margery began coaxingly in that moment of sweet intimacy
between nurse and patient when relief has come, "you're never going to
Tom McGinniss's house to live, are you?"

"Tom McGinniss's house!" snorted Effie, outraged and indignant at the
mere suggestion. "Well, I should say not! Who's been puttin' such ideas
into your head? Why, those McGinniss kids, even if they are me own
flesh and blood, are a set of young ruffians! And Tom's wife! Whew!
Would you believe it, she's tryin' to break into society! And the things
I know about her! No, siree! Me and Maggie McGinniss couldn't live
twenty-four hours under the same roof! Don't you ever insult me again by
suggestin' such a thing! . . . And now, darlint, I think it will be just
as well if we go to bed and take a little rest."

After she had punched the pillow and smoothed the sheet and had been
assured several times that the patient was feeling just lovely, honest
she was, Effie lingered a moment uncertainly.

"And, darlint dear," she began half shyly, "you ain't never again goin'
a-let any one call your poor old Effie that ugly name, are you now? It's
a turrible thing to bunch a decent, hardworkin' girl with a set o'
tramps like them neighborhood hired girls. I just tell you a girl has
to be mighty careful nowadays what she lets folks call her. Even if
she's a perfect lady, they're only too quick to take advan