Baby Mine Part 32

Aggie was not long in returning to the room and this time she bore in her arms the infant so strenuously demanded by its mad mother.

"Here you are, Jimmy," she said; "here's the other one. Now take him down stairs quickly before Alfred gets back." She attempted to place the unresisting babe in Jimmy's chubby arms, but Jimmy's freedom was not to be so easily disposed of.

"What!" he exclaimed, backing away from the small creature in fear and abhorrence, "take that bundle of rags down to the hotel office and have that woman hystericing all over me. No, thanks."

"Oh well," answered Aggie, distracted by the persistent ringing of the 'phone, "then hold him a minute until I answer the 'phone."

This at least was a compromise, and reluctantly Jimmy allowed the now wailing infant to be placed in his arms.

"Jig it, Jimmy, jig it," cried Zoie. Jimmy looked down helplessly at the baby's angry red face, but before he had made much headway with the "jigging," Aggie returned to them, much excited by the message which she had just received over the telephone.

"That mother is making a scene down stairs in the office," she said.

"You hear," chided Zoie, in a fury at Jimmy, "what did Aggie tell you?"

"If she wants this thing," maintained Jimmy, looking down at the bundle in his arms, "she can come after it."

"We can't have her up here," objected Aggie.

"Alfred may be back at any minute. He'd catch her. You know what happened the last time we tried to change them."

"You can send it down the chimney, for all I care," concluded Jimmy.

"I have it!" exclaimed Aggie, her face suddenly illumined.

"Oh Lord," groaned Jimmy, who had come to regard any elation on Zoie's or Aggie's part as a sure forewarner of ultimate discomfort for him.

Again Aggie had recourse to the 'phone.

"h.e.l.lo," she called to the office boy, "tell that woman to go around to the back door, and we'll send something down to her." There was a slight pause, then Aggie added sweetly, "Yes, tell her to wait at the foot of the fire-escape."

Zoie had already caught the drift of Aggie's intention and she now fixed her glittering eyes upon Jimmy, who was already shifting about uneasily and glancing at Aggie, who approached him with a business-like air.

"Now, dear," said Aggie, "come with me. I'll hand Baby out through the bathroom window and you can run right down the fire-escape with him."

"If I do run down the fire-escape," exclaimed Jimmy, wagging his large head from side to side, "I'll keep right on RUNNING. That's the last you'll ever see of me."

"But, Jimmy," protested Aggie, slightly hurt by his threat, "once that woman gets her baby you'll have no more trouble."

"With you two still alive?" asked Jimmy, looking from one to the other.

"She'll be up here if you don't hurry," urged Aggie impatiently, and with that she pulled Jimmy toward the bedroom door.

"Let her come," said Jimmy, planting his feet so as to resist Aggie's repeated tugs, "I'm going to South America."

"Why will you act like this," cried Aggie, in utter desperation, "when we have so little time?"

"Say," said Jimmy irrelevantly, "do you know that I haven't had any----"

"Yes," interrupted Aggie and Zoie in chorus, "we know."

"How long," continued Zoie impatiently, "is it going to take you to slip down that fire-escape?"

"That depends on how fast I 'slip,'" answered Jimmy doggedly.

"You'll 'slip' all right," sneered Zoie.

Further exchange of pleasantries between these two antagonists was cut short by the banging of the outside door.

"Good Heavens!" exclaimed Aggie, glancing nervously over her shoulder, "there's Alfred now. Hurry, Jimmy, hurry," she cried, and with that she fairly forced Jimmy out through the bedroom door, and followed in his wake to see him safely down the fire-escape.

CHAPTER XXVI

Zoie had barely time to arrange herself after the manner of an interesting invalid, when Alfred entered the room in the gayest of spirits.

"h.e.l.lo, dearie," he cried as he crossed quickly to her side.

"Already?" asked Zoie faintly and she glanced uneasily toward the door, through which Jimmy and Aggie had just disappeared.

"I told you I shouldn't be long," said Alfred jovially, and he implanted a condescending kiss on her forehead. "How is the little mother, eh?" he asked, rubbing his hands together in satisfaction.

"You're all cold," pouted Zoie, edging away, "and you've been drinking."

"I had to have one or two with the boys," said Alfred, throwing out his chest and strutting about the room, "but never again. From now on I cut out all drinks and cigars. This is where I begin to live my life for our sons."

"How about your life for me?" asked Zoie, as she began to see long years of boredom stretching before her.

"You and our boys are one and the same, dear," answered Alfred, coming back to her side.

"You mean you couldn't go on loving ME if it weren't for the BOYS?"

asked Zoie, with anxiety. She was beginning to realise how completely her hold upon him depended upon her hideous deception.

"Of course I could, Zoie," answered Alfred, flattered by what he considered her desire for his complete devotion, "but----"

"But not so MUCH," pouted Zoie.

"Well, of course, dear," admitted Alfred evasively, as he sank down upon the edge of the bed by her side--

"You needn't say another word," interrupted Zoie, and then with a shade of genuine repentance, she declared shame-facedly that she hadn't been "much of a wife" to Alfred.

"Nonsense!" contradicted the proud young father, "you've given me the ONE thing that I wanted most in the world."

"But you see, dear," said Zoie, as she wound her little white arms about his neck, and looked up into his face adoringly, "YOU'VE been the 'ONE'

thing that I wanted 'MOST' and I never realised until to-night how--how crazy you are about things."

"What things?" asked Alfred, a bit puzzled.