Sorry to hear the Old Man's hurt back East.

Mary was real put out at not bein' able to see Louise 'fore she went away"-- Louise being the Countess' and Mary Denson's sister--"but soon as I sold I got oneasy like.

The feller wanted p'session right away, too, so I told Mary we might as well start b'fore we git outa the notion.

I wouldn't uh cared about sellin', maybe, but the kids needs to be in school.

They're growin' up in ign'rance out here, and Mary's folks wants us to come back 'n' settle close handy by--they been at us t' sell out and move fer the last five years, now, and I told Mary--" Even Cal forgot, eventually, that he had asked a question which remained unanswered; what interest he had felt at first was smothered to death beneath that blanket of words, and he eagerly followed the boys out and over to Rusty Brown's place, where Denson, because of an old grudge against Rusty, might be trusted not to follow.
"Mamma!" Weary commented amusedly, when they were crossing the street, "that Denson bunch can sure talk the fastest and longest, and say the least, of any outfit I ever saw." "Wonder who did buy him out ?" Jack Bates queried.