“You’re gittin’ to be wusser’n a quill-pig to live with,” Simon flung back. “I don’t git more’n two decent words out of you from one day’s end to another. I ain’t no husk door-mat for you to wipe your feet on, even if I am poor and you’ve got your old forty thousand in the bank.” “You go ahead with your readin’,” barked Hiram, slapping open a letter. “You want to get so that you can unpin that mouth o’ your’n without saying forty thousand dollars ev’ry time, or I may stick my fist down your gullet some day.” The giant read on sullenly. “‘Messers. Look & Peak---------’” “‘Gentlemen Sirs!’” thundered Hiram. “Ain’t I told you more’n five hundred times how to read that? We ain’t ‘_Messers_.’” Peak surveyed the tyrant with baleful gaze and started to read again. While they were absorbed in their quarrel a woman had come tip-toeing up the street past the muddy spots, and now she stood in front of the porch--a thin, wiry, alert woman. Her voice startled them. She tripped a few steps nearer and curtsied with extravagant politeness. Both arose and doffed their plug hats before they saw her face. She tossed her head to throw back a draggly plume that rested against her rouged cheek and stared at them. “You don’t hold your ages as well as I do, boys,” she commented flippantly. “It’s the old army game, gents,” squalled the parrot from his cage overhead, excited by this new arrival, gay in colours and ribbons. “It’s _her!_” gasped Hiram. “It’s Signory Rosy-elly!” choked the giant. She came up and sat down beside them sociably in one of the porch chairs. “Honest, boys, it was some time before I could place those names,” she chattered. “‘Look & Peak’s Consolidated Aggregation,’ says I to myself. ‘Look & Peak,’ I says. And, thinks I, them two old codgers must have gone to Kingdom Come. ‘Look & Peak,’ says I,” she went on cheerfully, oblivious of the grim stares. “It’s their sons, I says, and so I come right along, for I need the job.” “Didn’t that ad. say,” demanded Hiram, “that there wa’n’t goin’ to be no personal interviews till later arranged for?” She poked each in turn with her parasol, “Oh, I knew if it was their boys I’d be taken on after I’d explained the romantic part, which I couldn’t do in a letter. But I don’t have to tell _you_, boys.” She poked them jocosely again. “A little old, you say?” They had not spoken. “Why, not a bit of it for a jay-town circuit. Of course, it isn’t a three-ringer job for me any more, or else I wouldn’t be down here talking to Look & Peak. But I’m still good for it all--rings, banners, hurdles, rump-cling gallop, and the blazing hoop for the wind-up. You know what I can do, boys. Remember old times. Take me on for old times’ sake.” She gave each one the leer of the faded coquette. Hiram was the first to recover, for the edge of his regret had been dulled by the long course of treatment he had received from Simon. This worn-out creature completed the job.