questions that sort of guided Elnora. But I don't know,
Wesley. This thing makes me think, too. S'pose we'd taken Elnora when
she was a baby, and we'd heaped on her all the love we can't on our
own, and we'd coddled, petted, and shielded her, would she have made the
woman that living alone, learning to think for herself, and taking all
the knocks Kate Comstock could give, have made of her?"

"You bet your life!" cried Wesley, warmly. "Loving anybody don't hurt
them. We wouldn't have done anything but love her. You can't hurt a
child loving it. She'd have learned to work, to study, and grown into a
woman with us, without suffering like a poor homeless dog."

"But you don't see the point, Wesley. She would have grown into a fine
woman with us; but as we would have raised her, would her heart ever
have known the world as it does now? Where's the anguish, Wesley, that
child can't comprehend? Seeing what she's seen of her mother hasn't
hardened her. She can understand any mother's sorrow. Living life from
the rough side has only broadened her. Where's the girl or boy burning
with shame, or struggling to find a way, that will cross Elnora's path
and not get a lift from her? She's had the knocks, but there'll never be
any of the thing you call 'false pride' in her. I guess we better keep
out. Maybe Kate Comstock knows what she's doing. Sure as you live,
Elnora has grown bigger on knocks than she would on love."

"I don't s'pose there ever was a very fine point to anything but I
missed it," said Wesley, "because I am blunt, rough, and have no book
learning to speak of. Since you put it into words I see what you mean,
but it's dinged hard on Elnora, just the same. And I don't keep out.
I keep watching closer than ever. I got my slap in the face, but if I
don't miss my guess, Kate Comstock learned her lesson, same as I did.
She learned that I was in earnest, that I would haul her to court if she
didn't loosen up a bit, and she'll loosen. You see if she doesn't. It
may come hard, and the hinges creak, but she'll fix Elnora decent after
this, if Elnora doesn't prove that she can fix herself. As for me, I
found out that what I was doing was as much for myself as for Elnora. I
wanted her to take those things from us, and love us for giving them. It
didn't work, and but for you, I'd messed the whole thing and stuck like
a pig in crossing a bridge. But you helped me out; Elnora's got the
clothes, and by morning, maybe I won't grudge