"And Tilly Nepple's sister says old Land King Bates never give his
daughter a cent, an' he never gives none of his girls a cent.
It's up to the men they marry to take keer of them. The old skin-
flint! What you want to do is to go long to your schoolin', if
you reely are going to make somepin of yourself at last, an' let
that big strap of a girl be, do --"
"Now, stop!" shouted George Holt. "Scenting another scandal, are
you? Don't you dare mar Kate Bates' standing, or her reputation
in this town, or we'll have a time like we never had before. If
old Bates doesn't give his girls anything when they marry, they'll
get more when he dies. And so far as money is concerned, this has
gone PAST money with me. I'm going to marry Kate Bates, as soon
as ever I can, and I've got to the place where I'd marry her if
she hadn't a cent. If I can't take care of her, she can take care
of me. I am crazy about her, an' I'm going to have her; so you
keep still, an' do all you can to help me, or you'll regret it."
"It's you that will regret it!" she said.
"Stop your nagging, I tell you, or I'll come at you in a way you
won't like," he cried.
"You do that every day you're here," said Mrs. Holt, starting to
the kitchen to begin dinner.
Kate appeared in half an hour, fresh and rosy, also prepared; for
one of her little pupils had said: "Tilly Nepple's sister say you
wasn't at your sister's wedding at all. Did you cry 'cause you
couldn't go?"
Instantly Kate comprehended what must be town gossip, so she gave
the child a happy solution of the question bothering her, and went
to her boarding house forewarned. She greeted both Mrs. Holt and
her son cordially, then sat down to dinner, in the best of
spirits. The instant her chance came, Mrs. Holt said: "Now tell
us all about the lovely wedding."
"But I wasn't managing the wedding," said Kate cheerfully. "I was
on the infare job. Mother and Nancy Ellen put the wedding
through. You know our house isn't very large, and close relatives
fill it to bursting. I've seen the same kind of wedding about
every eighteen months all my life. I had a NEW job this time, and
one I liked better."
She turned to George: "Of course your mother told you that Dr.
Gray came after me. He came to ask me as an especial favour to go
to his new house in Hartley, and do what I could to arrange it,
and to have a supper ready. I was glad. I'd seen six weddings
that I can remember, all exactly alike -- there's nothing to them;
but brushing those new carpets, unwrapping nice furniture and
placing it, washing pretty new dishes, untying the loveliest gifts
and arranging them -- THAT was something new in a Bates wedding.
Oh, but I had a splendid time!"