“And leaving your son to be passed back and forth--” “Now, you hold on!” said Harvey. “Don't you go tongue-lashin' me that way. I said I was n't no saint, an' I ain't, an' I'm liable to say what I feel like if you get me mad. You don't understand the first principles of bein' a saint, Susan Redding, an' you've got no right to criticize one. I've been one, an' I know. You're a nice one to talk about Lem, when all the time I've been wearin' my brain to a frazzle tryin' to figger out what would be best for him, goin' an' mortifying my flesh so I could be a saint an' he could be proud of me, an' goin' into the junk business an' out of it an' into it again. Don't you talk about saints! Why, dod-baste it, Susan! I'm more of a saint now that I ain't one than I was when I was one. Ain't I brought you the money right now to redeem Lem back?” “You brought the money?” Harvey tossed it into his sister's lap with a grand gesture. “Money!” he puffed. “Count it! Ain't I brought it to you? An' ain't I gone an' give up my only son to Mr. Alberson here to keep forever, tearin' my feelin's to pieces for Lem's good so that boy could be raised up an Alberson? Ain't I signed a paper so that Mr. Alberson here can adopt Lem? An' you say I'm a nice sort of saint! Dod-baste it, I ain't either a nice sort of saint!” Henrietta's face did redden now. “Are you going to do that?” she asked Johnnie. “Are you going to adopt Lem?” “Cave-man business,” said Johnnie, grinning at her fondly. “If Lem is willing I'm going to adopt him.” “I 'll fetch him. There ain't no time like the present to get things settled,” said Miss Susan. While she was gone, the three stood silent, Johnnie still smiling at Henrietta. Harvey was the first to move. His roving eyes caught sight of a ham, partially demolished, on a platter on the table, and he moved toward it and cut a thick, unsaintly slice and laid it on a slice of bread. “Lem likes ham,” he said. “You give Lem plenty of ham and you won't have no trouble with him. He takes after me that way.” “Is that so, Lem?” asked Johnnie, as Lem appeared in the doorway, rubbing his sleepy eyes with one hand and trying to hold a coat around his waist with the other. “Do you like ham?” “I guess so,” the boy said. “I mean, yes, sir, I do.” “Then that's all right,” said Johnnie. “You shall have lots of ham. Lem, how would you like me for a father?” Lem looked towards his parent but Harvey's back was still turned. “I'd like you all right, I guess,” said Lem. “Fine!” said Johnnie. “That's good, you see, because I 'm going to be your father from now on. And how would you like Miss Henrietta for a mother?” “I'd like that fine!” said Lem, and he let his hand fall to Henrietta's hand and grasped it. “I'd like that bully!” He looked up at Henrietta. “Are you goin' to be?” he asked wistfully. “I wish you would be; are you?”