Family Pride

Morris laughed a loud, hearty laugh, which did him good, and emboldened his visitor to say more than she had intended saying: "You just ask her ag'in. Once ain't nothing at all, and she'll come to. She likes you; 'tain't that which made her say no. It's some foolish idea about faithfulness to Wilford, as if he deserved that she should be faithful. They never orto have had one another--never; and now that he is well in heaven, as I do suppose he is, it ain't I who hanker for him to come back. Neither does Katy, and all she needs is a little urging to tell you yes. So ask her again, will you?"

"I think it very doubtful. Katy knew what she was doing, and meant what she said," Morris replied; and with the consoling remark that if young folks would be fools it was none of her business to bother with them, Aunt Betsy pinned her shawl across her chest, and hunting up both basket and umbrella, bade Morris good-night, and went back across the fields to the farmhouse, hearing from Mrs. Lennox that Katy had gone to bed with a racking headache.

"Just the way I felt when I heard about Joel and Patty," Aunt Betsy said to herself, and as she remembered what had helped her then, so, fifteen minutes later, she appeared at Katy's bedside, with a cup of strong sage tea which she bade Katy swallow, telling her it was good for her complaint.

To prevent being urged and annoyed, Katy drank the tea, and then without a question concerning Aunt Betsy's call at Linwood, lay down upon her pillow, asking to be left alone.