“‘And Loyette—the girl with the big ugly father—did he relent and did she marry the young fellow she was in love with?’
“‘No, madame,’ she answered sadly, with a shake of the head; ‘she married the cattleman, Marceaux, and a sad mess they made of it, for he was old enough then to be her father, and he is now half paralyzed, and goes around in a chair on wheels, and there are no children—and Loyette, who was so pretty and so happy, must follow him about like a dog tied to a blind man, and she never laughs the whole livelong day. That was her father’s work—he made her do it, and now she must pay the price.’
“‘And what became of the pig of a father?’ I had hated him before; I loathed him now.
“‘Dead; so is her mother.’
“‘And the young fellow?’
“‘He had to do his service, and was gone three years, and when he came back it was too late.’
“‘Well, but why did she give in?’
“‘Don’t they all have to give in at last? Did the husband not settle the farm on her, and fifty head of cattle, and the pasturage and barns? Is not that better for an only daughter than digging in the fields bending over washing-boards all day and breaking your back hanging out the clothes? How did she know he would be only a sick child in a chair on wheels—and this a year after marriage?’
“‘And what did the young fellow do?’
“‘What could he do? It was all over when he came back. And now he never laughs any more, and will look at none of the women—and it is a pity, for he is prosperous and can well take care of a wife.’