Good
night--er--dear."
Whether it was the "dear" that goaded Miss Parker into one more assault,
or whether she was not yet ready to surrender, is uncertain. But, at all
events, she fired a last broadside.
"He SHAN'T go with you tomorrow," she shrieked. "He shan't; I won't let
him."
Imogene nodded. "All right," she said, firmly. "Then if he don't I'll
come around tomorrow and tell him I'm ready to be married right away.
And if he says no to THAT--then--well then, I'll go straight to the
lawyer with that paper."
Ten minutes later, when the Parkers had gone and the sound of Hannah's
tirade and Kenelm's protestations had died away on the path toward their
home, Thankful, John and Captain Obed sat gazing at each other in
the living room. Imogene and Emily were together in the kitchen. The
"engaged" young lady had expressed a desire to speak with Miss Howes
alone.
John and the captain were still chuckling, but Thankful refused to see
the joke; she was almost in tears.
"It's dreadful!" she declared. "Perfectly awful! And Imogene! To act and
speak so to our next-door neighbor! What WILL come of it? And how COULD
she? How could she get engaged to THAT man, of all men? He's old enough
to be her father and--and she CAN'T care for him."
Emily entered the room. She was apparently much agitated and her eyes
were moist. She collapsed in a rocking-chair and put her handkerchief to
her face.
"Land sakes!" cried Captain Obed. "Is it as bad as that? Does it make
you cry?"
Emily removed the handkerchief.
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