"I never, never did! I couldn't! Laddie, I love you best of any one; you know I do!" "Of course you didn't!" said Laddie.

"My Little Sister wasn't anywhere around when that happened.

That was a poor little girl I never saw before, and she was in such trouble she didn't know WHAT she was doing.
And I hope I'll never see her again," he ended, twisting his shoulder.
But he kissed me and made it all right, and really I didn't do that; I just simply couldn't have struck Laddie.
Marrying off Sally was little worse than getting Shelley ready for school.

She had to have three suits of everything, and a new dress of each kind, and three hats; her trunk wouldn't hold all there was to put in it; and father said he never could pay the bills.

He had promised her to go, and he didn't know what in this world to do; because he never had borrowed money in his life, and he couldn't begin; for if he died suddenly, that would leave mother in debt, and they might take the land from her.