Jimmy's lips puckered in a pout; he began to blink nervously. Aggie
slipped her other arm about his neck.
"You know," she continued with a baby whine, "I got Zoie into this, and
I've just got to get her out of it. You're not going to desert me,
are you, Jimmy? You WILL help me, won't you, dear?" Her breath was on
Jimmy's cheek; he could feel her lips stealing closer to his. He had not
been treated to much affection of late. His head drooped lower--he began
to twiddle the fob on his watch chain. "Won't you?" persisted Aggie.
Jimmy studied the toes of his boots.
"Won't you?" she repeated, and her soft eyelashes just brushed the tip
of his retrousee nose.
Jimmy's head was now wagging from side to side.
"Won't you?" she entreated a fourth time, and she kissed him full on the
lips.
With a resigned sigh, Jimmy rose mechanically from the heap of crushed
laundry and held out his fat chubby hand.
"Give me the letter," he groaned.
"Here you are," said Zoie, taking Jimmy's acquiescence as a matter of
course; and she thrust the letter into the pocket of Jimmy's ulster.
"Now, when you get back with the baby," she continued, "don't come in
all of a sudden; just wait outside and whistle. You CAN WHISTLE, can't
you?" she asked with a doubtful air.
For answer, Jimmy placed two fingers between his lips and produced a
shrill whistle that made both Zoie and Aggie glance nervously toward
Alfred's bedroom door.
"Yes, you can WHISTLE," admitted Zoie, then she continued her
directions. "If Alfred is not in the room, I'll raise the shade and you
can come right up."
"And if he is in the room?" asked Jimmy with a fine shade of sarcasm.
"If he IS in the room," explained Zoie, "you must wait outside until I
can get rid of him."
Jimmy turned his eyes toward Aggie to ask if it were possible that she
still approved of Zoie's inhuman plan. For answer Aggie stroked his coat
collar fondly.
"We'll give you the signal the moment the coast is clear," she said,
then she hurriedly buttoned Jimmy's large ulster and wound a muffler
about his neck. "There now, dear, do go, you're all buttoned up," and
with that she urged him toward the door.
"Just a minute," protested Jimmy, as he paused on the threshold. "Let me
get this right, if the shade is up, I stay down."