ked at him now sadly and yearningly. "Oh, Danny, I don't see how you
can talk that way and poor Mis' Agin's just been nursing you night and
day."

"Pooh!" scoffed Danny. "Take me word for it, Rosie, when ye've been
married forty years, ye'll expect to be nursed night and day and no back
talk from any one. But, for love of Mike, darlint dear, let's talk of
something else! I've had nuthin' but Mary for the last couple of weeks.
Not another face have I seen and ye know yourself that Mary's face was
niver intinded for such constant use!"

Rosie gasped and swallowed and tried hard to find some fitting reproof.
Failing in this she sought to distract her friend from further
indiscretions by changing the subject. "Hasn't Janet been in to see you,
Danny?"

"Janet?" Danny spoke as though with an effort to recall the name. "Yes,
I suppose Janet has been in. I dunno."

"Danny, I don't see how you could forget."

"I don't forget but I don't just exactly remember."

"Danny, you're always saying things like that and I don't know what you
mean. Either you remember or you don't remember and that's all there is
to it." Rosie looked at him severely. "I don't think it's a bit nice of
you to pretend not to remember Janet. She's my dearest friend and
besides that she's a very nice girl."

Danny agreed heartily: "Oh, Janet's a fine girl--she is that! In
fact"--and Danny paused to make Rosie a knowing wink--"she might very
well be Mary's own child. Just look at the solemn face of her that hurts
when she laughs!"

"Danny, Danny, you mustn't talk that way, and you wouldn't either if you
knew the hard time poor Janet has at home!"

"Wouldn't I now? Don't I know the hard time poor Mary Agin has at home
and don't I say the same of her? Rosie, take me word for it, there are
some women are born for a hard time. They like it. Since Mary's been
waiting on me, hand and foot, she's been a happy woman. In the old days
when I was a spry, jump-about kind of man, making good money and no odds
from any one, Mary was a sad complainin' creature, always courtin'
disaster and foreseein' trouble. And look at her now: with a penny in
her pocket where she used to have a dollar and a cripple in a chair
instead of a wage-earnin' husband, and never a word of complaint out of
her mouth!" Danny ruminated a moment. "The rheumatiz has been pretty
hard on me, Rosie dear, but I tell you it's been the makin' of a happy
woman!"

Close as they were to each other, R