“Yes; but—why, wasn’t he on the Stewart side?”
“Yes; but you know Con’s no kin of ours, really. Ma was a widow with us three children when she married Con’s father, who was a widower with only Con. My father was named Stewart too, only we spell ours S-t-e-w and they spell theirs S-t-e-u. That’s the difference.”
“Oh!” replied Persis. She was solving several mysteries that morning.
“And do you know the Dixons? Connie said Mrs. Dixon was a friend of her mother’s. Did she mean this mother?”
“No; she meant her own mother. Ma doesn’t know Mrs. Dixon at all. Mrs. Dixon used to know Con’s mother.”
“Her father is living?”
“Yes; he’s a travelling man, you know. He’s away most of the time. He failed in business before ma married him. He used to be right well off. We don’t see much of him nowadays. You know he boarded with ma, and he was sick with typhoid fever and ma nursed him. That’s how he got acquainted with her. I don’t believe he cares much for us; but we’re awful fond of Con,” he added, eagerly. And Persis began to feel more kindly disposed toward this youth, who had so jarred upon her at first.
CHAPTER VI.
MRS. DIXON’S INVITATION.
While Connie and Persis waited after service to speak to Mrs. Dixon, the others walked on.