"I'm perfectly serious, Mr. Bolivar," she said.
"Yas'm, yas'm, but, my Lord, miss, I ain't seen THAT much money in two year, and your horses—I ain't seen 'em, and I don't want ter; if YOU say they're worth it that goes, but—but—well, well, things has been sort o' tough—sort o' tough," and poor, tired, discouraged Jim Bolivar leaned upon the fence and wept from sheer bodily weakness and nervous exhaustion.
Nelly ran to his side to clasp her arms about him and cry:
"Dad! Dad! Poor Dad. Don't! Don't! It's all right, Dad. We won't worry about things. God has taken care of us so far and He isn't going to stop."
"That ain't it, honey. That ain't it," said poor Bolivar, slipping a trembling arm about her. "It's—it's—oh, I can't jist rightly say what 'tis."
"Wall by all that's great, I know, then," exclaimed Shelby, clapping him on the shoulder. "I know, 'cause I've BEEN there: It's bein' jist down, out an' discouraged with everythin' and not a blame soul fer ter give a man a boost when he needs it. I lived all through that kind o' thing afore I came ter Severndale, an' 'taint a picter I like fer ter dwell upon. No it ain't, an' we're goin' ter bust yours ter smithereens right now. You don't want fer ter look at it no longer."
"No I don't, I don't fer a fact," answered Bolivar, striving manfully to pull himself together and dashing from his eyes the tears which he felt had disgraced him.
Peggy drew near. Her eyes were soft and tender as a doe's, and the pretty lips quivered as she said:
"Mr. Bolivar, please don't try to go home tonight. Shelby can put you up, and Nelly shall stay with me. You are tired and worn out and the change will do you good. Then you can see the horses and talk it all over with Shelby, and by tomorrow things will look a lot brighter. And Nelly and I will have a little talk together too."
"I can't thank ye, miss. No, I can't. There ain't no words big nor grand enough fer ter do that. I ain't never seen nothin' like it, an' yo've made a kind o' heaven fer Nelly. Yes, go 'long with Miss Peggy, honey. Ye ain't never been so looked after since yo' ma went on ter Kingdom Come." He kissed the delicate little face and turning to Shelby, said: