“I wonder that you haven’t more ambition, Uncle Joe.”
“That died and was buried long ago. The little that I have left is for you. I want you to have the benefit of what I have learned from books and life; I want you to be happy—I can’t say that I’m interested in anything beyond that.”
She threw him a kiss.
“You’re too good to be true almost.” Then, with a quite inexplicable diffidence she faltered, “Uncle Joe, that—that boy asked me to go to a dance.”
He turned his head quickly and asked with a sharp note in his voice:
“Where?”
“In Prouty.”
“Do you want to go?”
“I can’t tell you how much!” she cried eagerly. “I can hardly believe it is me—I—invited to a dance. I’ve never been out in the evening in all my life. I don’t know a single woman and may be I’ll never have such a chance again to get acquainted and make friends.”
“I didn’t know that you had been lonely, Katie,” he said after a silence.