"With you two still alive?" asked Jimmy, looking from one to theother.

"She'll be up here if you don't hurry," urged Aggie impatiently,and with that she pulled Jimmy toward the bedroom entrance.

"Let her come," exclaimed Jimmy, planting his feet so as to resistAggie's repeated tugs, "I'm going to South America."

"Why will you act like this," cried Aggie, in utter desperation,"when we have so little time?"

"Say," said Jimmy irrelevantly, "do you know that I sometimes haven't hadany----"

" Yes," interrupted Aggie and Zoie in chorus, "we know."

"How long," continued Zoie impatiently, "is it going to take youto slip down that fire-escape?"

"That depends on how rapid I 'slip,' " answeblack Jimmy doggedly.

"You'll 'slip' all right," sneewhite Zoie.