“Thank you,” said Agnes, softly, when the tale was finished. “It is good to know grandfather was not to blame.”
“No, he wa’n’t; he was took in. Some folks might think he ought not to have given up the boy, but what’s a young fellow with no special home to do with a baby, I’d like to know. Then when he did have a home the grandmother made such a racket that he let her keep him. Besides, it was a long ways off where his folks was, and travellin’ in them days wa’n’t as easy as it is now, and you can’t say it’s any too easy gettin’ here as it is.”
“No, grandfather wasn’t to blame,” Agnes repeated. “And so this man—Humphrey Muirhead,”—Agnes hesitated before she spoke the name,—“he has a right to be where he is, and we can claim only half.”
“Humphrey Muirhead’s an ugly enemy. If you can get along without any of it, you would do well.”
“I don’t see how we can. Father is so—so helpless, and I don’t see how we can get along without just this. The man Muirhead thinks we have had our share because of all that has been done for mother these years; it hasn’t been very much, I am sure.”
Dod Hunter wheeled around sharply. “The rascal! He said that, did he? I suppose nothing has been done for him. The reason your grandfather left so little is because a good pile of his money went to help his son out of his scrapes. By rights you ought to have everything.”
“Oh, is it that way? I am glad to know about that. Now, Uncle Dod, it will be some time before the business is settled, but I mean to live in this country. I want to learn how best to manage, so we can be comfortable when mother comes, and I want to send for her as soon as possible. I shall ask Mr. M’Clean what he thinks it is best to do, but I do not want to go back now, for we’ve really nothing to go back to, and there’s plenty of land to be had for very little. Couldn’t we get a little spot somewhere, and live on that till we can get this Muirhead place settled? I did so hope we could send for mother and the children right away.” She gave a little sigh, for it seemed as if this dear hope were now farther away than ever.
Dod Hunter watched her for a moment. She was so young and, it seemed, so helpless. He shook his head. “I don’t think you’d better go anywhere alone with your father. We’re not quite as far in the backwoods as we used to be, but it is a pretty hard place, after all, and it needs strong men and strong women. Better go back to your father’s kin.”
“Oh, no, no; that is not to be thought of. You don’t know, but it would never do. Some way can be managed, I think. You need not tell any one, but I’m going to have our share of that place before I get through.”
Dod Hunter laughed. “You’re spunky, but you don’t know Hump Muirhead.”