didn't see them. He walked, his head up, his eyes straight before him as if the street were entirely clear and he was happily alone. But by the time he reached the doorway of The Central he was mobbed by the children. Their voices rose in such uproar that Minnie's warning threats, as she called from the window, were not heard by them. She saw Al peppered with wads of paper, stones and beans from well-aimed slingshots as he struck right and left with his bamboo cane.
"Oh, you Lizzie-boy! Oh, you Boiled Shirt!" "Hey there, Percy" (pointing to the spats), "Your underdrawers is slippin' down." "Oh, you Minnie Flynn!"
The name "Minnie Flynn" rose from a hundred throats like the scream of a siren.
"Damn this neighborhood!" Minnie cried in her shame and humiliation. "Thank God, I got a chance to get away from it."
Al was so nice about it all. He said, without even raising his voice, "Well, what can you expect of those poor, ignorant little devils. I wouldn't hold that against 'em. I'm not that kind of a fellow, Mrs. Flynn. I might have been one of those little kids myself, without a chance."
Mr. Flynn dreaded Al's visits to his home; life was made very uncomfortable for him. He was forced to wear a collar, and keep on his shoes all evening. So it is quite natural that at first he showed a definite dislike for Al. He spoke only once during the first dinner and that was to ask who took care of the plumbing for the movies.
Al laughed as if Mr. Flynn had said something very funny, but as Minnie mentioned it later to her family, Al passed it off like a gentleman by completely ignoring her father's stupidity.
Michael Flynn then lapsed into silence until Al began to
