“What you mean? My papa is a major, and yours isn’t!”
“H’m! My papa doesn’t want to be a major, and that’s why! Some people perfers to be ministers!” Jimmy’s eyes were growing fiery. “Don’t you know,” he went on, “ministers are the nicest men there is in this world?”
But Gilly refused to be crushed.
“Has your papa got a coat with gold cushions on the shoulders, Jimmy Dunlee? Does he go march, marching, when they beat the drum?”
“No; he just despises to go march, marching! He stays in his pulpit, I s’pose you know!”
The foolish dispute might have gone on much longer if Gilbert had not changed the subject by saying,—
“I want some cocoanut taffy.”
But Gilly’s “candy-man” was away that morning. He had just started with his wife and children for a picnic.
Jimmy did not care very much.