"Now don't jolly poor Bill too much. I don't know what, or who, got
him to 'going social.'" And Nancy, giggling, said:--
"I put up a dollar, with Lucy's dollar-fifty that it's a woman."
"Oh, I don't know, now," said Nina. "A man isn't always trotting around
on a woman's apron strings," and, as it was growing dark, Nina and
Virginia got up to go.
Passing down Gadsby's front walk, a soft night wind brought back to
that porch:--
"Now, Virginia, _quit_ this! You will stay _on solid ground!_"
"Aw, Ma! Harold says----"
But a big bus, roaring by, cut it short.
* * * * *
Just a month from this, His Honor, sitting on his porch with his
"Morning Post" ran across a short bit, just two rows of print, which
had him calling "Hi!" which Lady Gadsby took as a signal for a quick
trip to that porch.
"All right, Your Honor! On duty! What's up?"
Gadsby, folding his "Post" into a narrow column, and handing it to that
waiting lady, said nothing. As that good woman saw that paragraph,
Gadsby saw first a gasp, following that, a grin, and finally:--
"_Why!_ Of all things! So _that's_ Nina--"