floor was a rag carpet; on the walls, torn and dirty
paper, with huge weather stains marking where water had leaked
from the roof down the supporting beams. Keziah scowled at
Susan's frank expression of repulsion for the surroundings.
Susan seated herself on the edge of the chair, put her bundle
beside her.

"I allow you'll stay to dinner," said Keziah.

"Yes," replied Susan.

"Then I'll go put on some more to cook."

"Oh, no--please don't--I couldn't eat anything--really, I
couldn't." The girl spoke hysterically.

Just then Jeb came round the house and appeared in the doorway.
He grinned and winked at Susan, looked at his sister. "Well,
Keziah," said he, "what d'ye think of her?"

"She says she's going to stay to dinner," observed Keziah, trying
to maintain the veneer of manners she had put on for company.

The young man laughed loudly. "That's a good one--that is!" he
cried, nodding and winking at Susan. "So you ain't tole her? Well,
Keziah, I've been and gone and got married. And there _she_ is."

"Shut up--you fool!" said Keziah. And she looked apologetically
at their guest. But the expression of Susan's face made her
catch her breath. "For the Lord's sake!" she ejaculated. "She
ain't married _you!_"

"Why not?" demanded Jeb. "Ain't this a free country? Ain't I as
good as anybody?"

Keziah blew out her breath in a great gust and seated herself on
the tattered calico cover of the sofa. Susan grew deathly white.
Her hands trembled. Then she sat quiet upon the edge of the old
rush-bottomed chair. There was a terrible silence, broken by
Jeb's saying loudly and fiercely, "Keziah, you go get the
dinner. Then you pack your duds and clear out for Uncle Bob's."

Keziah stared at the bride, rose and went to the rear door. "I'm
goin' now," she answered. "The dinner's ready except for putting
on the table."

Through the flimsy partitions they heard her mounting the
uncarpeted stairs, hustling about upon an uncarpeted floor above,
and presently descending. "I'll hoof it," she said, reappearing
in the doorway. "I'll send for my things this afternoon."

Jeb, not caring to provoke the "Ferguson temper," said nothing.

"As for this here marryin'," continued Keziah, "I never allowed
you'd fall so low as to take a baby, and a bastard at that."

She whirled away. Jeb flung his hat on the table, flung himself
on the sofa. "Well--that's settled," said he. "You kin get the
dinner. It's all in