The master of the house; a story of modern American life

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1913 Excerpt: ... him! And he did. "Harry!" he exclaimed as this occurred. "Why aren't you at the office?" "Little late this morning, father," said the embarrassed boy, trying hard to head things off. "Some things here at the house to look after." Now he held the violets behind him very carefully, taking more precautions than he had with Barbie--taking desperate precautions. Valentine, the superintendent, was really fond of Harry, and, before he quite went through the door, saw that his young friend was in for it. He threw him a significant glance of warning, and stood hesitant. Hoffman--spruce in a new spring suit; he had been rather lavish with his tailor lately, far more so than he usually was--stood scowling at the boy. "No wonder your work at the office is behind hand when you hang around the house, here, half the day!" Harry squirmed uneasily, and, through an extraordinary effort, struck an attitude which made it seem quite natural that his hand should be behind him. He would not have had his father see those violets.for, "It won't do, young man," his father thundered. "I won't tolerate it." "I do the best I know how," Harry answered childishly, and knowing that he sounded childish, which added to his woes. Why had he not thought out a definite errand when he had taken chances this way? He knew. The run back with the violets had been as unconsidered as the return flight of a mating bird. "I'm doing quite my best." His father looked at him unpleasantly. "If that's the case," he said, with slow and scathing sarcasm, "you'd better find out how to do a little better. I didn't know that you were stupid." Harry writhed. "When / was of your age my father worked ...