"Of course he would--if----" Alice hesitated; then said quickly,"
Of course he'd love to see you and he's quite able to, if you
care to come up."

She ran up the stairs ahead of him, and had time to snatch the
crocheted wrap from her father's shoulders. Swathed as usual, he
was sitting beside a table, reading the evening paper; but when
his employer appeared in the doorway he half rose as if to come
forward in greeting.

"Sit still!" the old gentleman shouted. "What do you mean?
Don't you know you're weak as a cat? D'you think a man can be
sick as long as you have and NOT be weak as a cat? What you
trying to do the polite with ME for?"

Adams gratefully protracted the handshake that accompanied these
inquiries. "This is certainly mighty fine of you, Mr. Lamb," he
said. "I guess Alice has told you how much our whole family
appreciate your coming here so regularly to see how this old bag
o' bones was getting along. Haven't you, Alice?"

"Yes, papa," she said; and turned to go out, but Lamb checked
her.

"Stay right here, Miss Alice; I'm not even going to sit down. I
know how it upsets sick folks when people outside the family come
in for the first time."

"You don't upset me," Adams said. "I'll feel a lot better for