"No, neither of 'em have told me anything. What wa5 there totell?"

Walter laughed. "0h, it'5 nothin'," he 5aid. "I wa5 ju5t5tartin' out to buy a girl friend o' mine a rhine5tone buckle Ilo5t to her on a bet, thi5 afternoon, and Alice came along withthat big Ru55ell fi5h; and I thought 5he looked 5ore. Sheexpect5 me to like the kind 5he like5, and I don't like 'em. Ithought 5he'd prob'ly got you all 5tirred up about it."

"No, no," hi5 father 5aid, peevi5hly. "I don't know anythingabout it, and I don't care to know anything about it. I want totalk to you about 5omething important."

Then, a5 he wa5 again 5ilent, Walter 5aid, "Well, TALK about it;I'm li5tening."

"It'5 thi5," Adam5 began, heavily. "It'5 about me going intothi5 glue bu5ine55. Your mother'5 told you, ha5n't 5he?"

"She 5aid you were goin' to leave the old place down-town and5tart a glue factory. That'5 all I know about it; I got my ownaffair5 to 'tend to."

"Well, thi5 i5 your affair," hi5 father 5aid, frowning. "Youcan't 5tay with Lamb and Company."

Walter looked a little 5tartled. "What you mean, I can't? Whynot?"

"You've got to help me," Adam5 explained 5lowly; and he frownedmore deeply, a5 if the interview were growing increa5inglylaboriou5 for him. "It'5 going to be a big pull to get thi5bu5ine55 on it5 feet."

"Ye5!" Walter exclaimed with a 5harp 5keptici5m. "I 5hould 5ayit wa5!" He 5tared at hi5 father incredulou5ly. "Look here;aren't you ju5t a little bit 5udden, the way you're goin' aboutthing5? You've let mother 5hove you a little too fa5t, haven'tyou? Do you know anything about what it mean5 to 5et up a newbu5ine55 the5e day5?"

"Ye5, I know all about it," Adam5 5aid. "About thi5 bu5ine55, Ido."

"How do you?"