"
"No," Adams said, frowning. "You come up before you go out.
It's important."
"All right; I've had all I want to eat," Walter returned. "I got
a few minutes. Make it quick."
He followed his father upstairs, and when they were in the room
together Adams shut the door, sat down, and began to rub his
knees.
"Rheumatism?" the boy inquired, slyly. "That what you want to
talk to me about?"
"No." But Adams did not go on; he seemed to be in difficulties
for words, and Walter decided to help him.
"Hop ahead and spring it," he said. "Get it off your mind: I'll
tell the world _I_ should worry! You aren't goin' to bother ME
any, so why bother yourself? Alice hopped home and told you she
saw me playin' around with some pretty gay-lookin' berries and
you----"
"Alice?" his father said, obviously surprised. "It's nothing
about Alice."
"Didn't she tell you----"
"I haven't talked with her all day."
"Oh, I see," Walter said. "She told mother and mother told you."
"No, neither of 'em have told me anything. What was there to
tell?"
Walter laughed. "Oh, it's nothin'," he said. "I was just
startin' out to buy a girl friend o' mine a rhinestone buckle I
lost to her on a bet, this afternoon, and Alice came along with
that big Russell fish; and I thought she looked sore.
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