Cordelia laughed shyly.
"Well, it—it's a lady, Genevieve."
"A lady! Why, Hermit Joe and his son haven't any—any women or cousins, have they?"
"No; but—but they want one," admitted Cordelia, a little breathlessly.
Genevieve stopped short.
"Cordelia, what are you talking about?" she demanded.
Cordelia laughed softly, but she grew suddenly very pink indeed, and she clasped her hands rapturously.
"I'll tell you, Genevieve. I've been just longing to tell you, every minute. It's the loveliest thing—just like a book! It seems Hermit Joe's son, years ago, before he ran away, had a sweetheart, Miss Sally Hunt."
"That little old maid on Hunt's Hill? She's a dear, I think!"
"Yes; but she wasn't old then, you know. She was young, and so pretty! She showed me her picture, once—how she looked then."