'You ought to have children of your own, Josey.'
Josey was stitching and mending some of the youngsters' clothes, and, at my remark, she paused and looked at me pensively; but the next moment she gave such a vicious dig with her needle that she broke it, and cried,
'Ought to have! Ought to have! Me, with my crooked legs! No, my dear, never, never, never! Little witches don't have children. Never, never, never!' And for the first time in my experience of her, Josey West burst out crying. Her passion did not last long; she conquered it within a couple of minutes, and, as she wiped her eyes, exclaimed,
'There! A nice little fool you'll think me now, Chris!'
I gave her a kiss, and in a little while she was herself again, rattling away as usual.
'I'm going to sleep in the old house every night,' she said, until Sheridan takes possession; and Turk is coming here to sleep, and to mind the shop, if I want to get away a bit earlier. I wish Turk would marry. I should like to take care of his children. He's a real good sterling fellow is Turk, and deserves a happy home. Your mother was here this afternoon, Chris. She told me all that you said to her.'
'You guess, I daresay, what my reason is in wishing her to see Jessie.'
Josey West laughed. 'I guess, you daresay! Well, yes, I can guess, although I am not in love.'
I shook my head. 'I don't think you have guessed, Josey. It is not for myself that I want mother and Jessie to come together again.'
'What other reason can you have, my sweet sensitive child?'