“It's a joke,” said Zoie, without the slightest idea of where the joke lay. “If you had any sense you could see it.” “I DON'T see it,” said Alfred, with hurt dignity. “Neither do I,” said Jimmy, with boiling resentment. “Can you call it a joke,” asked Alfred, incredulously, “to have our boy----” He stopped suddenly, remembering that there was a companion piece to this youngster. “The other one!” he exclaimed, “our other boy----” He rushed to the crib, found it empty, and turned a terrified face to Zoie. “Where is he?” he demanded. “Now, Alfred,” pleaded Zoie, “don't get excited; he's all right.” “How do you know?” asked the distracted father. Zoie did not know, but at that moment her eyes fell upon Jimmy, and as usual he was the source of an inspiration for her. “Jimmy never cared for the other one,” she said, “did you, Jimmy?” Alfred turned to the officer, with a tone of command. “Wait,” he said, then he started toward the bedroom door to make sure that his other boy was quite safe. The picture that confronted him brought the hair straight up on his head. True to her promise, and ignorant of Jimmy's return with the first baby, Aggie had chosen this ill-fated moment to appear on the threshold with one babe on each arm. “Here they are,” she said graciously, then stopped in amazement at sight of the horrified Alfred, clasping a third infant to his breast. “Good God!” exclaimed Alfred, stroking his forehead with his unoccupied hand, and gazing at what he firmly believed must be an apparition, “THOSE aren't MINE,” he pointed to the two red mites in Aggie's arms. “Wh--why not, Alfred?” stammered Aggie for the want of something better to say. “What?” shrieked Alfred. Then he turned in appeal to his young wife, whose face had now become utterly expressionless. “Zoie?” he entreated. There was an instant's pause, then the blood returned to Zoie's face and she proved herself the artist that Alfred had once declared her. “OURS, dear,” she murmured softly, with a bashful droop of her lids. “But THIS one?” persisted Alfred, pointing to the baby in his arms, and feeling sure that his mind was about to give way. “Why--why--why,” stuttered Zoie, “THAT'S the JOKE.” “The joke?” echoed Alfred, looking as though he found it anything but such. “Yes,” added Aggie, sharing Zoie's desperation to get out of their temporary difficulty, no matter at what cost in the future. “Didn't Jimmy tell you?” “Tell me WHAT?” stammered Alfred, “what IS there to tell?” “Why, you see,” said Aggie, growing more enthusiastic with each elaboration of Zoie's lie, “we didn't dare to break it to you too suddenly.” “Break it to me?” gasped Alfred; a new light was beginning to dawn on his face. “So,” concluded Zoie, now thoroughly at home in the new situation, “we asked Jimmy to take THAT one OUT.” Jimmy cast an inscrutable glance in Zoie's direction. Was it possible that she was at last assisting him out of a difficulty? “You 'ASKED Jimmy'?” repeated Alfred.