Miss Van Gorder dropped the revolver like a hot potato and opened her mouth to tell Lizzie not to be such a fool.

Then she saw Dale--her mouth went into a round O of horror and her hand clutched weakly at her heart.
"Good heavens, child!" she gasped.

"Didn't Billy tell you what I was doing?
I might have shot you like a rabbit!" and, overcome with emotion, she sat down on the ground and started to fan herself mechanically with a cartridge.
Dale couldn't help laughing--and the longer she looked at her aunt the more she laughed--until that dignified lady joined in the mirth herself.
"Aunt Cornelia--Aunt Cornelia!" said Dale when she could get her breath.

"That I've lived to see the day--and they call US the wild generation! Why on earth were you having pistol practice, darling--has Billy turned into a Japanese spy or what ?" Miss Van Gorder rose from the ground with as much stateliness as she could muster under the circumstances.
"No, my dear--but there's no fool like an old fool--that's all," she stated.

"I've wanted to fire that infernal revolver off ever since I bought it two years ago, and now I have and I'm satisfied.