“In a general way, only. She is very well known. She writes books—novels, and poems, and things like that. Some people admire them very much, most of our folks thought them ‘just so-so.’ I can’t say I ever read any of them. My mother believed all books but the Bible doubtful. Domine Trenabie read them, and if you wanted Captain Macpherson’s good will, you had to read them—at least, I have heard that said.”
“Is she writing books yet?”
“Ay, she had one on the market last year. She did not write much while her children were growing up—how could she?”
“How many children has she?”
“I think eleven. I believe one died.”
“What are you telling me?”
“The truth, all the truth, nothing but the truth. She has seven sons, and five girls. The youngest girl died, I heard.”
“She is older than I am. Does she look older?”
“No. She looks younger. Her hair is thinner, as I can remember it, but pretty and bright, and always well dressed. I have seen her in her fisher’s cap in the morning. In the afternoon she wears a rose and a ruffle of white lace, which she calls a cap. Her gowns are long and handsome, and she has beautiful laces, but I never saw any jewelry on her. Colonel Ballister gave her a necklace of small, but exceedingly fine India pearls, but nobody ever saw it on her neck. Perhaps she did not like to put them on. 367 People said he bought them for the girl he hoped to marry when he returned home. She married someone else.”