"And you say Mason's fixin' to send her up to the juvenile court?" asked
Uncle Jed gravely, his fat hand closing on her small one.
"Dan Lewis has got to go too!" said Nance, a sudden apprehension seizing
her at Uncle Jed's solemn face.
"Oh, they won't do nothin' to 'em," said Mrs. Snawdor, pouring hot water
over the coffee grounds and shaking the pot vigorously. "Everybody knows
it was the Clarke boy that bust the window. Clarke's Bottle Works' son,
you know, up there on Zender Street."
"Was it the Clarke boy and Dan Lewis that started the fracas?" asked
Uncle Jed.
"No, it was me!" put in Nance.
"Now, Nance Molloy, you lemme hear you say that one time more, an' you
know what'll happen!" said Mrs. Snawdor, impressively. "You're fixin' to
make me pay a fine."
"I'm mighty sorry Dan Lewis is mixed up in it," said Uncle Jed, shaking
his head. "This here's his second offense. He was had up last year."
"An' can you wonder?" asked Mrs. Snawdor, "with his mother what she is?"
"Mrs. Lewis ain't a bad looker," Mr. Snawdor roused himself to observe
dejectedly.
His wife turned upon him indignantly. "Well, it's a pity she ain't as
good as her looks then. Fer my part I can't see it's to any woman's
credit to look nice when she's got the right kind of a switch and a good
set of false teeth. It's the woman that keeps her good looks without none
of them luxuries that orter be praised."
"Mrs. Lewis ain't done her part by Dan," said Uncle Jed, seating himself
at the red-clothed table.
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