worth, an' One-eye Beljus ast Willie if he didn't have a watch.Well, Willie took out his watch an' One-eye Beljus said it was an awful bad watch, but he would put it in for a dollar; an'
he said, `I'll put your necktie pin in for forty cents more,' so Willie took it out of his necktie an' then One-eye Beljus said it would take all the things in the baskets to make I forget how much, mamma, an' the watch would be a dollar more, an' the pin forty cents, an' that would leave just three dollars an' sixty cents more for Willie to pay before he could get the suit.''
Mrs.Baxter's face had become suffused with high color, but she wished to know all that Genesis had said, and, mastering her feelings with an effort, she told Jane to proceed--a command obeyed after Jane had taken several long breaths.
``Well, an' so the worst part of it is, Genesis says, it's because that suit is haunted.''
``What!''
``Yes'm,'' said Jane, solemnly; ``Genesis says it's haunted.Genesis says everybody over on the avynoo knows all about that suit, an' he says that's why One-eye Beljus never could sell it before.Genesis says One-eye Beljus tried to sell it to a colored man for three dollars, but the man said he wouldn't put in on for three hunderd dollars, an' Genesis says HE wouldn't, either, because it belonged to a Dago waiter that--that--''
Jane's voice sank to a whisper of unctuous horror.
She was having a wonderful time! ``Mamma, this Dago waiter, he lived over on the avynoo, an' he took a case-knife he'd sharpened--AN' HE CUT A LADY'S HEAD OFF WITH IT!''
Mrs.Baxter screamed faintly.
``An' he got hung, mamma! If you don't believe it, you can ask One-eye Beljus--I guess HE
knows! An' you can ask--''
``Hush!''
``An' he sold this suit to One-eye Beljus when he was in jail, mamma.He sold it to him before he got hung, mamma.''
``Hush, Jane!''
But Jane couldn't hush now.``An' he had that suit on when he cut the lady's head off, mamma, an' that's why it's haunted.They cleaned it all up excep' a few little spots of bl--''
``JANE!'' shouted her mother.``You must not talk about such things, and Genesis mustn't tell, you stories of that sort!''
``Well, how could he help it, if he told me about Willie?'' Jane urged, reasonably.
``Never mind! Did that crazy ch-- Did Willie LEAVE the baskets in that dreadful place?''
``Yes'm--an' his watch an' pin,'' Jane informed her, impressively.``An' One-eye Beljus wanted to know if Genesis knew Willie, because One-eye Beljus wanted to know if Genesis thought Willie could get the three dollars an;
sixty cents, an' One-eye Beljus wanted to know if Genesis thought he could get anything more out of him besides that.He told Genesis he hadn't told Willie he COULD have the suit, after all; he just told him he THOUGHT he could, but he wouldn't say for certain till he brought him the three dollars an' sixty cents.So Willie left all his things there, an' his watch an--''
``That will do!'' Mrs.Baxter's voice was sharper than it had ever been in Jane's recollection.
``I don't need to hear any more--and I don't WANT to hear any more!''
Jane was justly aggrieved.``But, mamma, it isn't MY fault!''
Mrs.Baxter's lips parted to speak, but she checked herself.``Fault?'' she said, gravely.
``I wonder whose fault it really is!''
And with that she went hurriedly into William's room and made a brief inspection of his clothes-closet and dressing-table.Then, as Jane watched her in awed silence, she strode to the window, and called, loudly:
``Genesis!''
``Yes'm?'' came the voice from below.
``Go to that lumber-yard where Mr.William is at work and bring him here to me at once.
If he declines to come, tell him--'' Her voice broke oddly; she choked, but Jane could not decide with what emotion.``Tell him--tell him I ordered you to use force if necessary! Hurry!''
``YES'M!''
Jane ran to the window in time to see Genesis departing seriously through the back gate.
``Mamma--''
``Don't talk to me now, Jane,'' Mrs.Baxter said, crisply.``I want you to go down in the yard, and when Willie comes tell him I'm waiting for him here in his own room.And don't come with him, Jane.Run!''
``Yes, mamma.'' Jane was pleased with this appointment; she anxiously desired to be the first to see how Willie ``looked.''
...He looked flurried and flustered and breathless, and there were blisters upon the reddened palms of his hands.``What on earth's the matter, mother?'' he asked, as he stood panting before her.``Genesis said something was wrong, and he said you told him to hit me if I wouldn't come.''
``Oh NO!'' she cried.``I only meant I thought perhaps you wouldn't obey any ordinary message--''
``Well, well, it doesn't matter, but please hurry and say what you want to, because I got to get back and--''
``No,'' Mrs.Baxter said, quietly, ``you're not going back to count any more shingles, Willie.
How much have you earned?''
He swallowed, but spoke bravely.``Thirty-
six cents.But I've been getting lots faster the last two hours and there's a good deal of time before six o'clock.Mother--''
``No,'' she said.``You're going over to that horrible place where you've left your clothes and your watch and all those other things in the two baskets, and you're going to bring them home at once.''
``Mother!'' he cried, aghast.``Who told you?''
``It doesn't matter.You don't want your father to find out, do you? Then get those things back here as quickly as you can.They'll have to be fumigated after being in that den.''
``They've never been out of the baskets,'; he protested, hotly, ``except just to be looked at.
They're MY things, mother, and I had a right to do what I needed to with 'em, didn't I?'' His utterance became difficult.``You and father just CAN'T understand--and you won't do anything to help me--''
``Willie, you can go to the party,'' she said, gently.``You didn't need those frightful clothes at all.''
``I do!'' he cried.``I GOT to have 'em! I CAN'T
go in my day clo'es! There's a reason you wouldn't understand why I can't.I just CAN'T!''
``Yes,'' she said, ``you can go to the party.''
