"Now, Kenelm," said Imogene cheerfully, "you can leave if you want to.
And," with a mischievous chuckle, "when you get there you can give your
sister my love, the inmate's love, you know. Lordy! Won't she enjoy
gettin' it!"
When Kenelm had gone, which he did immediately and without a word,
Imogene vouchsafed an explanation.
"I never did want to marry him," she said. "When I get ready to marry
anybody it'll be somebody with more get-up-and-git than he's got, I
hope. But I was ready to do anything to help Mrs. Thankful from frettin'
and when he talked about quittin' his job right in the busy season I had
to keep him here somehow, I just HAD to. He was kind of--of mushy and
soft about me first along--I guess guys of his kind are likely to be
about any woman that'll listen to 'em--and when his sister got jealous
and put him up to leavin' I thought up my plan. I got him to ask
me--he'd as much as asked me afore--and then I made him sign that paper.
Ugh! the silliness I had to go through afore he would sign it! Don't ask
me about it or I shan't eat any dinner. But he did sign it and I knew I
had him under my thumb. He's scared of that sister of his, but he's more
scared of losin' his money. And she's just as scared of that as he is.
THEY didn't want any breachin' of promises--No sir-ee! Ho! ho!"
She stopped to laugh in gleeful triumph. John laughed too. Captain Obed
scratched his head.
"But, hold on there; heave to, Imogene!" he ordered. "I don't seem to
get the whole of this yet.
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