As for my not comin' to see you, you know the
reason for that. I'd have come quick enough, but I wa'n't sure I'd
be welcome. And I told your sister only 'tother day that--by the way,
Steve, how is she? How is Caroline?"
"She's a fool!" The boy sprang up again and shook his fist. "She's the
one I've come here to speak about. If we don't stop her she'll ruin us
altogether. She--she's a damned fool, I tell you!"
"There! there!" the captain's tone was sharp and emphatic. "That's
enough of that," he said. "I don't want to hear you call your sister
names. What do you mean by it?"
"I mean what I say. She IS a fool. Do you know what she's done? She's
written Mal Dunn all about it! I'd have stopped her, but I didn't know
until it was too late. She's told him the whole thing."
"She has? About 'Bije?"
"Well, perhaps she didn't tell him father was a thief, but she did tell
that the estate was gone--that we were flat broke and worse."
"Hum!" Captain Elisha seemed more gratified than displeased. "Hum!...
Well, I kind of expected she would. Knowin' her, I kind of expected it."
"You did?" Stephen glared in wrathful amazement. "You expected it?"
"Yes. What of it?"
"What OF it? Why, everything! Can't you see? Mal's our only chance. If
she marries him she'll be looked out for and so will I.
Pages:
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353