"Silence!" said Peter. "I've just found out that it's a man's job to be
the _head of his family_, and I'm going to be the head of mine after this,
and like Mickey here, 'I'm going to keep it.' Let me finish. I've spent
this week thinking, and all the things I have thought would make a bigger
book than the dictionary if they were set down. Why should you ask to be
forgiven for a desire to go to Multiopolis when I carried you there as a
baby, led you as a toddler, and went with you every chance I could trump
up as a man? Who bought and fed you painted, adulterated candy as a child,
when your Ma should have made you pure clean taffy at home from our maple
syrup or as good sugar as we could buy? Often I've spent money that now
should be on interest, for fruit that looked fine to you there, and proved
to be grainy, too mellow, sour or not half so good as what you had at
home.
"I never took you hunting, or fishing, or camping, or swimming, in your
life; but I haven't had a mite of trouble to find time and money to take
you to circuses, which I don't regret, I'll do again; and picture shows,
which I'll do also; and other shows.
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