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"Oh, my God! what shall I do?" cried Laura, beating her palms together, in sore distress. "You know," resumed Mrs. Jaynes, watching her sister carefully, and speaking softly, "you know that Mr. Jaynes's salary is not large. It used to be more than sufficient for our wants, but the children are getting to be more expensive every year.
And I'll say this for Laura Stebbins, anyhow, if she is Miss Jaynes's sister, she's got the most takin' ways of 'most any grown-up person I ever see." The reflection is painful to a generous mind, that, by harboring unjust suspicions of another, one has been led to repel friendly advances with indifference or disdain.
Coming through the wicket in the garden fence, on an errand to the Bugbee kitchen, the sound of her own name, in Laura's excited tones, struck Mrs. Jaynes's ear and excited her curiosity.
"Why, what's the matter, child?" said Mrs. Jaynes; "what are you crying for?" "Oh, dear, dear sister!" sobbed Laura, falling on her knees at Mrs. Jaynes's feet, "do hear me! You are my mother, for you fill her place." "I have endeavored to do so," said Mrs. Jaynes. "Then, for God's sake, don't make me marry this horrid man!" pursued Laura. "Don't tell me that I must!
None of them had ever been beyond Jaynes's Post-office in their journeyings, and the youngest had not seen even that much of the outside world. Betty herself could not remember having been on a longer trip than to Livermore, a village ten miles away.
The letter for Jaynes's Post-office reached the end of its journey first. It wasn't much of a post-office; only an old case of pigeon-holes set up in one corner of a cross-roads store. A man riding over from the nearest town twice a week brought the mail-bag on horseback.
When the horses were something quieted, I, desiring not to unfold my errand in the tavern, got hold of Parson Downs by his mighty arm, and elbowed Dick Barry, who cursed at me for it, and cut short Captain Jaynes's last string of oaths, and hallooed to Nick Barry, and asked if I could have a word with them.
Jaynes's, I do say, Laura, that you ought to give better reasons for refusing him, nay, for jilting him, after a two-years' engagement, than that his cheeks are pale and his spectacles blue. We love you, Laura, and are willing to give you a home and the best we can afford to eat and drink and wear, but Mr.
But Statira was proof against all the wheedling and flattery of the parson's wife, behaving towards her always with the same cool civility, and with great self-control, using none of the frequent opportunities afforded her to make some taunt, or fling, or reproachful allusion to Mrs. Jaynes's former conduct.
They had been Davy's present to her the Christmas before, and he had bought them at Squire Jaynes's store with his own precious pennies. That was all that Betty had intended to put into her trunk, but when they were in, there was still so much room that she decided to take her books and several of her chief treasures.
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