“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.”

“I can’t, either!  Not unless you give me three dollars and twenty-four cents, or unless I can get back to the lumber-yard and earn the rest before—­”

“No!” And the warm color that had rushed over Mrs. Baxter during Jane’s sensational recital returned with a vengeance.  Her eyes flashed.  “If you’d rather I sent a policeman for those baskets, I’ll send one.  I should prefer to do it—­much!  And to have that rascal arrested.  If you don’t want me to send a policeman you can go for them yourself, but you must start within ten minutes, because if you don’t I’ll telephone headquarters.  Ten minutes, Willie, and I mean it!”

He cried out, protesting.  She would make him a thing of scorn forever and soil his honor, if she sent a policeman.  Mr. Beljus was a fair and honest tradesman, he explained, passionately, and had not made the approaches in this matter.  Also, the garments in question, though not entirely new, nor of the highest mode, were of good material and in splendid condition.  Unmistakably they were evening clothes, and such a bargain at fourteen dollars that William would guarantee to sell them for twenty after he had worn them this one evening.  Mr. Beljus himself had said that he would not even think of letting them go at fourteen to anybody else, and as for the two poor baskets of worn and useless articles offered