peppery mistress had inculcated some cayenne into the souls of those about
her. "You mark my words—them laughs best what laughs last, an’ there’ll be
little grinnin’ for him if he ain’t a chalk-walker for one while now."

Joshua laughed.

But, as a matter of fact, Jack’s situation was suddenly become extremely
precarious.

"There ain’t no sense in it," said Aunt Mary to herself, with an emphasis
that screwed her face up until she looked quite like Lucinda; "that life
those young men lead on their little vacations is to blame for everything.
Cities are wells of iniquity; they’re full of all kinds of doin’s that
respectable people wouldn’t be seen at, and I’m proud to say that I
haven’t been in one myself for twenty-five years. I’m a great believer in
keepin’ out of trouble, an’ if Jack’d just stuck to college an’ let towns
go, he’d never have met the cabman and the Kalamazoo girl, an’ I’d have
overlooked the cook an’ the cat. As it is, my patience is done. If he goes
into one more scrape he’ll be done too. I mean what I say. So my young man
had better take warnin’. Probably—most likely—pretty certainly."





CHAPTER THREE - INTRODUCING JACK


It has been previously stated that Aunt Mary’s nephew, Jack, was a
scapegrace, and as delightful as scapegraces generally are. It goes