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And Lafe kissed his baby kissed him once, twice, and three times, gulping hard after each caress. He would never have enough of those sweet kisses, never, never! And as his lips descended reverently upon the smooth, rose-colored skin, Mr. Grandoken laughed, and Jinnie laughed, and the baby, too, wrinkled up his nose.
"Jinnie's stayin' awful long at the jail to-day," said the woman fretfully. "Do you hear her comin', Bobbie?" "No," said Bobbie, "I've been stretchin' my ears almost to the hill to hear her. If she doesn't come soon, I'll die my stars've been gone a long time." "I wish she'd come," sighed Mrs. Grandoken. "Bend over here, Peg," entreated Bobbie, "I want to touch your eyes!"
At length she caught a glimpse of Peg, who, with bent head, was stumbling across the tracks. Peggy had failed in her mission! Jinnie knew it because the woman did not look up as she came within sight of the house. As Mrs. Grandoken entered slowly, Jinnie turned to her. "You didn't see him?" she said in a tone half exclamation, half question. "No," responded Peg, wearily, sitting down.
When Jinnie returned with a pair of low black slippers, no one noticed that they weren't quite what should have been worn with a lace frock. Contentment reigned supreme in the Grandoken home that day. Sunday evening at seven Jinnie displayed herself to Lafe. The cobbler gave a contented nod. "You and the dress're beautiful," he ruminated. "Wonderful!... Kiss me, Jinnie!"
"I'm Jinnie Grandoken," Theodore heard. "I wanted to tell you I wouldn't go away from home ever; no, never! I wouldn't; I couldn't!" "Don't you want to study?" Mr. King asked eagerly. Jinnie shook her head as if she were face to face with him. "I'm studying all the time," she said brokenly, "and I can't go away now. If they couldn't spare me one day, they couldn't all the time."
Some feeling created by God rose insistent within Lafe. It was a response from the heart of the Good Shepherd, who had always gathered into his fold the bruised ones of the world. Lafe drew the child to his lap. "Poor little thing!" he murmured sadly. With curling lips, his wife stood watching the pair. "You're a bigger fool'n I thought you was, Lafe Grandoken," she said, turning away sharply.
"If you'd a glued them boards together, it'd a been something, but as long as you didn't, it ain't no credit to you." Lafe laughed, and Jinnie, too, uttered a low, rueful sound. How funny Peg was! And when Mrs. Grandoken had gone to prepare for the night, Lafe insisted that Jinnie tell him over and over all the happenings of the evening.
"I couldn't now, not now. But I have to live with Lafe Grandoken quite a long time yet." "You ran away from your home?" "Yes." "Your father died the same night you came away." "Yes, and please, what happened after I left?" "Oh, he was buried, and the house is empty." Molly forebore to mention Jordan Morse, and Jinnie's tongue refused to utter the terrifying name.
If she had been ten years older or had spent months framing a speech to fit the need of this occasion, Jinnie could not have been more effective, for Peg's rage entirely ebbed at these words. "Get up, you brats," she ordered grimly. "An' you listen to me, Jinnie Grandoken.
"Yes," repeated Peg, "an' of course you'll go." Jinnie went forward and placed a slender hand on Lafe's shoulder. Then she faced Mrs. Grandoken. "Didn't you both know me well enough to tell him I wouldn't go for anything in the world?" If a bomb had been placed under Mrs. Grandoken's chair, she wouldn't have jumped up any more quickly, and she flung out of the door before Jinnie could stop her.
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