n. For herself Nettie would have one of those
feminine pick-up lunches; a dab of apple sauce, a cup of tea, and a
slice of cold toast left from breakfast. This she would eat while old
man Minick guiltily supped up his cup of warmed-over broth, or his
coddled egg. She always pressed upon him any bit of cold meat that was
left from the night before, or any remnants of vegetable or spaghetti.
Often there was quite a little fleet of saucers and sauce plates grouped
about his main plate. Into these he dipped and swooped uncomfortably,
and yet with a relish. Sometimes, when he had finished, he would look
about, furtively.

"What'll you have, Father? Can I get you something?"

"Nothing, Nettie, nothing. I'm doing fine." She had finished the last of
her wooden toast and was waiting for him, kindly.

Still, this balanced and scientific fare seemed to agree with him. As
the winter went on he seemed actually to have regained most of his
former hardiness and vigour. A handsome old boy he was, ruddy, hale,
with the zest of a juicy old apple, slightly withered but still sappy.
It should be mentioned that he had a dimple in his cheek which flashed
unexpectedly when he smiled. It gave him a roguish--almost
boyish--effect most appealing to the beholder. Especially the feminine
beholder. Much of his spoiling at the hands of Ma Minick had doubtless
been due to this mere depression of the skin.

Spring was to bring a new and welcome source of enrichment into his
life. But these first six months of his residence with George and Nettie
were hard. No spoiling there. He missed being made much of. He got
kindness, but he needed love. Then, too, he was rather a gabby old man.
He liked to hold forth. In the old house on Ellis there had been
visiting back and forth between men and women of his own age, and Ma's.
At these gatherings he had waxed oratorical or argumentative, and they
had heard him, some in agreement, some in disagreement, but always
respectfully, whether he prated of real estate or social depravity;
prohibition or European exchange.

"Let me tell you, here and now, something's got to be done before you
can get a country back on a sound financial basis. Why, take Russia
alone, why ..." Or: "Young people nowdays! They don't know what respect
means. I tell you there's got to be a change and there will be, and it's
the older generation that's got to bring it about. What do they know of
hardship! What do they know about work--real w