“Yes, that’s the plan.”
“The boy will be glad. He likes you a lot. But, mostly glad, because it will make his mother happy.” 111
“I hope so much that it will,” the older man answered.
We are not going into details as to the meeting between the Marshes. We, who are acquainted with so much of their story, can imagine what happened. Bill Marsh left home because he felt he could not hold his head up nor his wife’s respect. He had been very foolish, and it was this foolishness, this false pride, even a lack of faith in the understanding of his wife that had made him stay away. Who should have known him better than his own wife? It was harder to make Helen understand. She asked some searching questions, but in the end she realized the fine manliness of her father.
The two, mother and daughter, marveled at the coincidence of the father being at the same place as Ted.
“The world is a small place, isn’t it?” said Mrs. Marsh.
It did not take very long for them to be ready to leave. Marsh helped where he could and a week after he arrived they left for Big Gulch. Red had paved the way, in accordance with their plan.
Ted was too surprised to make any comment 112 when he heard the news. At first he was furiously angry at his father. Boylike, he could not forgive certain things which an older person could. It was Mrs. Dean, even more than Red and John Dean, who made him see and understand.
Then the Marshes came to Big Gulch. Matters adjusted themselves. It was a busy time for all. Smiles was off, smiling and glad. So were the other men who were to go. Brave men, all of them, doing their duty as they saw it. Pop took up his duties as foreman.
Then the child was born to the Deans. A girl, which seemed like a squalling, ugly baby, much like any other baby, to Ted. But to say so to the mother or to the father or to Mrs. Marsh or to Helen, would have been a great, an awful insult.