"You 're real welcome to stay," said Peter, warming his hands over the stove. "I'd like you to stay. That feller is sure to come back."
"He's got a court order," said Booge. "I guess he heard you was so kind hearted you'd hand Buddy right over to him and say, Thank you, mister.' I surprised him." Booge looked at Buddy, playing on the floor.
"Ain't it funny how you get attached to a kid?" he asked. "I was just as mad when that old kazoozer said he was going to take Buddy as if he was after my own boy, instead of yours."
"I guess they think this ain't a good enough home for him," said Peter.
He looked about the cabin with new interest. To Peter it had seemed all that a home need be, and he had been proud of it and satisfied with it, but now it looked poor and shabby. There were no chairs with tidies on them, no chairs at all; there was no piano lamp; nor even a hanging lamp with prisms; no carpet, not even a rug. It was not a "good home," it was only a shanty-boat, not much better than any other shanty-boat, and it was not even Peter's shanty-boat. It was George Rapp's.
Booge was ramming his belongings into his valise.
"What do they want for a home? A town hall or an op'ry house?"
"It's all right for you or me, Booge," said Peter, "but what would be a good home for a couple of old hard-shells like us ain't what a boy like Buddy ought to have. I'll bet we 're eight miles from a Sunday school."
"My, my!" said Booge. "I wouldn't have remained here a minute if I had thought I was that far from Sunday school."
"And we 're two miles from a woman. A boy like Buddy ought to be nearer a woman than that. When I was a little tyke like him I was always right up against my ma's knee."
"And look how fine you turned out to be," said Booge.
"Well, a place ain't a home unless there's a woman in it," said Peter gravely. "I can see that now. I thought when I built this boat I had a home, but I hadn't. And when I got Buddy I thought I had a home for sure, but I hadn't. I never thought there ought to be a woman. I went at it wrong end to. I'd ought to have looked up a woman first. Then I could have got a house. And the boy would tag on somewheres along after. Only it wouldn't have been Buddy. I guess I'd rather have Buddy."
