y explained why the meeting was called.

"It is because Laura and I are tired of this tariff nonsense," he
explained. "You and Kitty have seen how it works--everybody in the
house mad at one another--"

"Not Billy and I," interposed Kitty. "Are we Billy?"

"Let us, for the sake of argument, suppose we are," said Billy. "We
must give Tom a fair chance. It is his tariff, not ours."

"Very well," said Kitty; "we are all angry! Let us quarrel!"

"Seriously, now," said Mr. Fenelby, very seriously indeed, "this has
got to stop! You and Kitty may think it is all a joke, but Laura and
I went into this thing before you came, and we meant it seriously.
We went into it in parliamentary form, and in good faith. Now we see
it was all a mistake and we want to do away with it. If you will
just take it seriously for five minutes--if you can be sensible that
long--we will not trouble you with it any more. Laura, awaken
Bobberts!"

Mrs. Fenelby awakened the Territory by gently kissing him on his
eyes, and he opened them and blinked sleepily at the ceiling.

"Congress is in session," said Mr. Fenelby. "And Laura moves that
the Fenelby Domestic Tariff be repealed and annulled. I second it.
All in favor of the motion say--"

"Stop!" exclaimed Billy, rising from his chair. "I object to this!
Kitty and I did not come in here to have such an important motion
rushed through without consideration. It is not parliamentary. I
want to make a speech."

"Oh, don't!" pleaded Mrs. Fenelby. "Think how late it is, Billy."

"Mr. President and Ladies of Congress," said Billy unrelentingly;
"we are asked to repeal our tariff laws, our beneficent laws,
enacted to send Bobberts to college. We stand in the presence of two
cruel parents who would take away from their only Territory its sole
chance--as we were informed--of securing an education. We are asked
to do this merely because there has been some slight difficulty in
collecting the tariff tax. I am ashamed to be a State in a
commonwealth that can put forward such an excuse. I care not what
others may do, but as for me I shall never cast my vote to rob that
poor innocent," he pointed feelingly toward Bobberts, "to rob him of
his future happiness! Never. You won't either, will you, Kitty?"

"I should think not!" exclaimed Kitty. "Poor little Bobberts!"

Mr. Fenelby moved the papers on his desk nervously. He was tempted
to say something about smuggling, but he controlled himself, for it
would