"This afternoon, you mean, Walter?"

"Yes, 'this afternoon, I mean, Walter,'" he returned,
burlesquing her voice at least happily enough to please himself;
for he laughed applausively. "Oh, you never saw me! I passed
you close enough to pull a tooth, but you were awful busy. I
never did see anybody as busy as you get, Alice, when you're
towin' a barge. My, but you keep your hands goin'! Looked like
the air was full of 'em! That's why I'm onto why you look so
tickled this evening; I saw you with that big fish."

Mrs. Adams laughed benevolently; she was not displeased with
this rallying. "Well, what of it, Walter?" she asked. "If you
happen to see your sister on the street when some nice young man
is being attentive to her----"

Walter barked and then cackled. "Whoa, Sal!" he said. "You got
the parts mixed. It's little Alice that was 'being attentive.' I
know the big fish she was attentive to, all right, too."

"Yes," his sister retorted, quietly. "I should think you might
have recognized him, Walter."

Walter looked annoyed. "Still harpin' on THAT!" he complained.
"The kind of women I like, if they get sore they just hit you
somewhere on the face and then they're through. By the way, I
heard this Russell was supposed to be your dear, old, sweet
friend Mildred's steady. What you doin' walkin' as close to him
as all that?"