He pulled out one little pink heart, exposing it to the light. “Sweet talk!” it squeaked, a little louder than he expected. In surprise, he dropped it back in the bag. Oh, his nieces would love these! The nephews, maybe not so much. He suspected they preferred his previous gift: little circus animal crackers that danced and pranced about. Their nursemaid wasn’t as enamoured, for several of the little beasties had escaped and hidden under the dresser drawers, evading all efforts of capture. Raymond checked his pocket watch. Plenty of time left that afternoon for a pleasant stroll through the park before visiting his sister and her numerous offspring. The traffic on East 59th Street had slowed. Two delivery wagons and four empty carriages had all but halted. He slipped between them, skipping over the plentiful horse manure the sweepers had yet to scoop up. Once on the other side, he saw what had caused the traffic to slow. A large, noisy group of women on the corner of Madison Avenue waved placards.
