"Oh, no!" he sneered. "All she wants is a good
time."
"Well," mumbled Jimmy, "I can't see much in babies myself, fat,
little, red worms."
Alfred's breath went from him in astonishment
"Weren't YOU ever a fat, little, red worm?" he hissed. "Wasn't
_I_ ever a little, fat, red----" he paused in confusion, as his
ear became puzzled by the proper sequence of his adjectives, "a
fat, red, little worm," he stammered; "and see what we are now!"
He thrust out his chest and strutted about in great pride.
"Big red worms," admitted Jimmy gloomily.
But Alfred did not hear him. "You and I ought to have SONS on
the way to what we are," he declared, "and better."
"Oh yes, better," agreed Jimmy, thinking of his present plight.
"Much better."
"But HAVE we?" demanded Alfred.
Jimmy glanced about the room, as though expecting an answering
demonstration from the ceiling.
"Have YOU?" persisted Alfred.
Jimmy shook his head solemnly.
"Have _I_?" asked the irate husband.
Out of sheer absent mindedness Jimmy shrugged his shoulders.
As usual Alfred answered his own question. "Oh, no!" he raged.
"YOU have a wife who spends her time and money gadding about
with----"
Jimmy's face showed a new alarm.
"--my wife," concluded Alfred.
Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief.
"I have a wife," said Alfred, "who spends her time and my money
gadding around with God knows whom.
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