the bow on the baby's cap and brushed a smear of powder off his neck. Eddie came into the sanitarium, banging the screen door behind him. "Come on, Dot," he said. "I got a taxi waiting."
Her anger dissolved. That's what he had gone away for. "Oh, Eddie, you shouldn't have done that. I could have gone home on the 'bus."
"Come on." He put his hand under her arm and piloted her down the stone steps to the street. He helped her into the cab and seated himself beside her. "Go slow, Buddie," he said to the driver.
The driver turned around and smiled at the little family. He'd been in Eddie's boots three times.
Eddie held out his hands for the baby. "Want me to take him?"
"Yes, if you don't mind, Eddie." It really was hot, and she did wish that she hadn't been on her feet so much all day. The baby felt like a ton of heat in her arms. It wouldn't hurt Eddie to hold him.
The transfer made, she stretched her legs joyfully and turned to look at St. Nicholas Avenue. The sky bending blue and dependable above the world made her very happy, the sun glowing goldenly, brilliantly, beautiful again now that her travail was over. The world was right. Some day, somehow, Eddie would come to love the little pink monkey who lay so trustingly, so unaware of antagonism, in his daddy's arms.
She turned again to feast her eyes upon the tiny mortal. He was so sweet, so adorable, so— Suddenly the blood in Dot's veins turned to ice water. A sharp prickling sensation ran up her back. The baby was dribbling. On the sleeve of Eddie's new blue suit the baby was dribbling. On the sleeve of Eddie's new blue suit! What would happen now? Would Eddie slap the baby? Would he perhaps make her slap the poor little thing?
