"Looking up a girl! What do you mean, Patsy?"

Patsy scratched his head with the "ten-toothed comb of Nature,"--a habit
which prevailed with terrible and suggestive frequency when I first came
"into my kingdom,"--and answered:--

"Lookin' up a girl! Why, I s'posed yer knew that. I dunno 'zackly. Jim
says all the fellers does. He says he hates to git the feed an' wash the
dishes orfly, 'nd girls likes ter do it best of anything."

"Oh!" cried I, light bursting in upon my darkened intellect when
dish-washing was mentioned; "he wants to get married!"

"Well, he has ter look up a girl first, don't yer s'pose?"

"Yes, of course; but I don't see how Jim can get money enough to take
care of a wife. He only has thirty dollars a month."

"Well, he's goin' ter get a girl what'll 'go halveys,' don't yer know,
and pay for her keep. He'd ruther have a 'millingnary' girl--they're the
nicest; but if he can't, he's goin' to try for one out of the box
factory."

"Oh, Patsy! I wish"--

"Why, didn't I ought ter say that?"

"I wish you had a mother, dear."

"If I had, I'd know more 'n I do now," and a great sigh heaved itself