Do you mean to say that you accept that gal's story as true--in all
partic'lars?"
"I don't say that."
"Then I shall stick to my opinion. She's as loony as she can be. And
I am plumb against insulting our Ida May by letting the girl come
up here. What do you say, Prudence?"
The old woman was much perturbed. Elder Minnett was a minister of
the gospel. To be told by him that it was her Christian duty to take
a certain course bore much weight with Prudence Ball.
But when she looked at Sheila, sitting there so pale and silent, and
realized that on her head all this was falling, the old woman rose
up, burst into tears, and threw herself into the girl's arms.
"No, no!" she sobbed. "Don't let her come here, Ira. We don't want
her. We don't want anybody but Ida May whom we love so dear, and who
we know loves us. We can't do it, Elder Minnett! Why, if they should
come and tell me--and prove it--that Ida May wasn't our niece and
that other girl was, I couldn't bear the creature 'round. No, I
couldn't. I couldn't forgive anybody that would separate us from
this dear, dear girl!"
Cap'n Ira had got upon his feet and was leaning forward on his cane.
With a shaking finger he drew the elder's attention to the two
women, rocking in each other's arms.
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