Mary Louise repressed a giggle and turned away from the window. Her father evidently meant to find out what he could before he announced his daughter’s return.
“You have a sister Rebecca, haven’t you, Adams?” he inquired.
The young man nodded. “Yes. She’s feeble-minded. Why?”
“We know that Mary Louise saw her the afternoon she disappeared. Rebecca told us so, and she also said that you came home that afternoon just as my daughter started to leave the farm.”
“Rebecca’s mind wanders a lot,” muttered Tom. “She don’t know what she’s talkin’ about half the time.” He shifted his feet uneasily.
“You—have been thinking of putting Rebecca into an asylum?” persisted Mr. Gay.
“Yeah. We considered it. Why?”
“Because she’s in one now,” announced Mr. Gay calmly. “Of her own free will. An asylum about twenty miles from here. A Dr. Fetter, I believe, is the head of the institution.”
He paused and gazed intently at Tom. The young man’s jaw dropped, his face grew white, and his hands trembled.
Mr. Gay burst out laughing, and Mary Louise came to the screen door.