of that infernal Grimmins story. I almost wish
we--"

"You wish what, Teddy dear?"

"I almost wish we had not attempted the tipsy-cake, and had stuck to
my original suggestion," said Thaddeus.

"What was that?" Bessie asked.

"To have lemon pie for dessert, for Bradley's sake," answered
Thaddeus, as he locked the front door and turned off the gas.

AN OBJECT-LESSON

It was early in the autumn. Mr. and Mrs. Perkins, with their two
hopefuls, had returned from a month of rest at the mountains, and
the question of school for Thaddeus junior came up.

"He is nearly six years old," said Bessie, "and I think he is quite
intelligent enough to go to school, don't you?"

"Well, if you want my honest opinion," Thaddeus answered, "I think
he's intelligent enough to go without school for another year at
least. I don't want a hot-house boy, and I have always been opposed
to forcing these little minds that we are called upon by
circumstances to direct. It seems to me that the thing for us to do
is to hold them back, if anything. If Teddy goes to school now,
he'll be ready for college when he is twelve. He'll be graduated at
sixteen, and at twenty he'll be practising law. At twenty-five
he'll be leader of the bar; and then--what will there be left for
him to achieve at fifty? Absolutely nothing."

Mrs. Perkins laughed. "You have great hopes for Teddy, haven't
you?"

"Certainly I have," Thaddeus replied; "and why shouldn't I? Doesn't
he combine all my good qualities plus yours? How can he be anything
else than great?"

"I am afraid there's a touch of vanity in you," said Mrs. Perkins,
with a smile. "That remark certainly indicates it."

"No--it's not vanity in me," said Thaddeus. "It's confidence in
you. You've assured me so often of my perfection that I am
beginning to believe in it; and as for your perfection, I've always
believed in it. Hence, when I see Teddy combining your perfect
qualities with my own, I regard him as a supernaturally promising
person--that is, I do until he begins to show the influence of
contact with the hired man, and uses language which he never got
from you or from me."

"Granting that he is great at twenty-five," said Mrs. Perkins, after
a few moments' reflection, "is that such a horrible thing?"

"It isn't for the parents of the successful youth, but for the
successful youth himself it's something awful," returned Thaddeus,
with a convincing shake of the head. "I