's old chums had passed in somewhere abroad,
and for some reason or other these twins of his had been shipped over
to Pinckney in care of a French governess. Between not knowing how to
herd a pair of lively ones like Jack and Jill, and her gettin'
interested in a tall gent with a lovely black moustache, Marie had kind
of shifted her job off onto the rest of the passengers, specially
Gerty, and the minute the steamer touched the dock she had rolled her
hoop.

"Pinckney," says I, "it's you to the bat."

He looks at the twins doubtful, then he squints at me, and next he
looks at Miss Gertrude. "By Jove!" says he. "It appears that way,
doesn't it? I wonder how long I am expected to keep them?"

The twins didn't know; I didn't; and neither does Gerty.

"I had planned to take a noon train west," says she; "but if you think
I could help in getting Jack and Jill ashore, I'll stay over for a few
hours."

"Will you?" says he. "That's ripping good of you. Really, you know, I
never took care of twins before."

"How odd!" says she, tearin' off a little laugh that sounds as if it
come out of a music box. "I suppose you will take them home?"

"Home!" says Pinckney. Say, you'd thought he never heard the word
before. "Why--ah--er--I live at the club, you know."

"Oh," says she.

"Would a hotel do?" says Pinckney.

"You might try it," says she, throwin' me a look that was all twinkles.

Then we rounds up the kids' traps, sees to their baggage, and calls
another cab. Pinckney and the girl takes Jill, I loads Jack in with
me, and off we starts. It was a great ride. Ever try to answer all
the questions a kid of that age can think up? Say, I was three behind
and short of breath before we'd gone ten blocks.

"Is all this America?" says Mr. Jack, pointin' up Broadway.

"No, sonny," says I; "this is little old New York."

"Where's America, then?" says he.

"Around the edges," says I.

"I'm goin' to be president some day," says he. "Are you?"

"Not till Teddy lets go, anyway," says I.

"Who's Teddy?" says he.

"The man behind the stick," says I.

"I wish I had a stick," says Jack; "then I could whip the hossie. I
wish I had suffin' to eat, too."

"I'd give a dollar if you had," says I.

It seems that Jill has been struck with the same idea, for pretty soon
we comes together, and Pinckney shouts that we're all goin' to have
lunch. Now, there's a lot of eatin' shops in this town; but I'll bet
Pinckney c