Page:Harvey O'Higgins--Silent Sam and other stories.djvu/130

ll8 He considered that she needed a proper display of harshness on occasion, patience and a firm hand. He felt that she would understand, and appreciate his stern care of her, as she grew older.

And he was not troubled about Burls. He had decided to "turn down" that too friendly adviser. He considered himself "too old a bird to be caught by chaff." If there was more money to be made out of Milly's act with a circus, he and Milly were going to make it themselves. He was able to attend to that. Burls could make his own contracts, and he and Milly would make theirs.

He blinked drowsily, satisfied with himself, with his circumstances, with life in general. The sun was bright; the children were playing in the street; a German servant was singing and clattering dishes in the kitchen. He would have a good dinner when Milly came back, and then he would settle down for a quiet Sunday afternoon, undisturbed. So—

He put his pipe on the window-sill and lay back in his chair to have a snooze.

He was wakened by the sound of voices. The servant had come to the front door in reply to the bell that had rung in the kitchen. He opened his eyes, blinking. Burls was entering with a genial smile, and Yost, because he had been disturbed, scowled at the intruder. Burls accepted the scowl with a beaming good nature. "Takin' it easy, eh? That 's right. I been seein' them down at the Garden about that contrac'." He had begun to sit down, and though Yost put in curtly: "I