She'd like mighty well to come, whether your brother was married or not; but supposin' he married a lady like Miss Dora Bannister.

Bless my soul, Miss Miriam, everything in this place would be turned heels up an' heads down, an' there wouldn't be no colored pussons wanted in this 'stablishment, Seraphina nor me nuther, an' I reckon you wouldn't know the place in six months, Miss Miriam, with that Miss Dora runnin' it, an' old Miss Panney with her fingers in the pie, an' nobody can't help her doin' that when Miss Dora is concerned, an' you kin see for yourself, Miss Miriam, that Seraphina, an' me, too, is bound to be bounced if it was to come to that." "I will talk to you again about your sister," said Miriam, and she went away, amused.
Mike was delighted.
"It's all a cussed old lie, jes' as I thought it wuz," said he to himself; "an' that old Miss Panney'll fin' them young uns is harder nuts to crack than me an' Phoebe wuz.

I got in some good licks fur dat purty Miss Cicely, too." Miriam's amusement gradually faded away as she approached the house.

At first it had seemed funny to hear any one talk about Ralph or herself getting married, but now it did not appear so funny.

On the contrary, that part of Mike's remarks which concerned Ralph and Dora was positively depressing.