'"

Her mincing politeness made him laugh, in spite of his irritation. "I
think you'd like it in New York?" he urged.

Lily's amber eyes were full of sympathy--but she was firm: "I wouldn't
live in New York for anything!"

"Mr. Gem'man," said Jacky, sidling crabwise into the room to the shelter
of his mother's skirt; "I--"

"Say, now, Sweety, be quiet! No, Mr. Curtis; I only go into real good
society, and I've always heard that New York ladies ain't what they
should be. And, besides, I want a garden for Jacky. I'll tell you what
I'll do! I'll take the top flat in that house on Ash Street. It has
three little rooms I could let. There's a widow lady's been asking me to
go in on it with her; it has a garden back of it Jacky could play
in--last summer there was a reg'lar hedge of golden glow inside the
fence! Mr. Curtis, you'd 'a' laughed! He pinched an orange off a
hand-cart yesterday, just as cute! 'Course I gave him a good slap, and
paid the man; but I had to laugh, he was so smart. And he's got going
now, on God--since I've been paying him to say his prayers. Well, I
suppose I'll have to be going to church one of these days," she said,
resignedly. "The questions he asks about God are something fierce! _I_
don't know how to answer 'em. Crazy to know what God eats--I told him
bad boys."

"Lily, I don't think--_Thunder and guns!_" said Maurice, leaping to his
feet and rubbing his ankle; "Lily, call him off! The little wretch put
his teeth into me!"

Lily, horrified, slapped her son, who explained, bawling, "Well, b-b-but
he didn't let on he heard me tellin' him that I--"

"I _felt_ you," Maurice said, laughing; "Gosh, Lily! He's cut his
eyeteeth--I'll say that for him!" He poked Jacky with the toe of his
boot, good-naturedly: "Don't howl, Jacobus. Sorry I hurt your feelings.
Lily, what I was going to say was, I don't believe that Ash Street place
is what you want?"

"Yes, it is. The widow lady is a dressmaker, and she has three children.
We were talking about it only yesterday. Her father's feeble-minded,
poor old man! I take him in some doughnuts whenever I fry 'em. Mr.
Curtis, don't worry; I'll fix it, somehow! And until I get moved, I
won't answer the bell here. Look! I'll give you a key, and you can come
in without ringing if you want to."

"No--_no_! I don't want a key! I wouldn't take a key for a million
dollars!"

Lily's quick flush showed how innocent her offer had been. "I suppose
that doesn't sound