His sister's "Why, Jimmy!" and her warning frowns did not change his course. Mrs. Jones went to the front of the house, diplomatically leaving all the doors open behind her, that Mrs. Sears might hear her son's voice. In a moment the boy caught the faint sound of his mother calling from the distant bedroom, "Jimmy, Jimmy, come here; I want you." The boy pretended not to hear. She called his name again. "Yes 'm," he answered. When she repeated her request, he filled his mouth with pie, and replied, "I'm a-eatin' now." He slipped a piece of ice down the back of his adoring little sister's dress, who sat near him. When she wept noisily, he laughed under his breath, and spoke aloud to his sister at the dish-pan,-- "What'd you want to take Annie's doll away from her for? Give it back, why don't you?" [Illustration: "_What'd you want to take Annie's doll away from her for_?"] "Why--Jimmy--Sears!" retorted the girl. Then lifting her voice, "Mamma, Jimmy's put ice down--" But the lad pressed the ice against the child's back, pretending to be removing the source of the trouble, and the child's lusty howls drowned the girl's protest. When he heard the bedroom door close to shield his mother from the turmoil, Jimmy knew that he had outwitted Mrs. Jones, so he quelled the disturbance he had caused. When Mrs. Jones returned to the kitchen, the boy was sitting on the porch steps with his little sister, telling her about "raw head and bloody bones," greatly to the child's horror and delight. Jimmy heard his elder sister inquire, "Did Mamma eat her supper?" He heard Mrs. Jones respond, "Not very much of it; but she will after a while, I guess. She said to leave it in there." "Couldn't she eat any of that nice chicken Mrs. Pennington sent?" "No, nor Mrs. Carpenter's lemon jelly." "Poor mamma!" sighed the girl. But Jimmy had other reflections. Two minutes later he walked past his mother's open door, and fumbled around in the sitting-room. "Is that you, Jimmy?" asked his mother. "Yes 'm," rejoined the boy. "What are you doing?" "Lookin' for my other coat." "Won't you come in and see me, Jimmy? I haven't seen you for two whole days." "In a minute," returned Jimmy. Standing awkwardly in the doorway, he asked, "What 'd you want?" "Come over here, Jimmy," returned the mother. "My poor, neglected boy!" He would not let his eyes find the new baby. He stood stiffly on one foot, and gave his mother his hand. She drew him down and kissed his cheek, while he pecked at her lips. As Jimmy rose, his mother smiled. [Illustration: _She drew him down and kissed his cheek while he pecked at her lips_.] "Are you hungry, Jimmy?" The boy nodded a vociferous affirmative. Being a boy, one of the lowest orders of human creatures in point of intuitions, Jimmy could not know that his mother understood the rankle in her son's heart. Nor could he divine that she kept the supper dainties as peace offerings. "Won't you have some of my supper?"