“You––you are h’all so velcome as I can’t say,” she declared.
“Miss Nelson is going away with Stefan in a few minutes,” said Hugo, cheerfully.
At this Mrs. Papineau’s face fell. She looked positively unhappy.
“Some’ow,” she said, sniffing, “I always ’ope she stay ’ere h’all de time now. I––I never tink she go avay for good. De––de dogs and de calf and––an––de baby and chil’ren dey all love ’er. I h’awful sorry.”
“But––but I’m coming back, Mrs. Papineau,” cried Madge. “I––I can’t live away from––from Roaring River now!”
“Dey two iss ter be marrit!” roared Stefan. 306 “Hey! What you tank? I tank so all de time, you bet!”
At this they all crowded around Madge, and such hand-shakings, and such kisses from the good woman and the children, and such joy depicted on all the faces! She thought that never a bride had received such heartfelt congratulations and good wishes.
But in a couple of hours the old horse was quite rested and had finished the small bag of oats Stefan had brought and eaten plenty of the sweet-scented hay furnished by Papineau, and it was time to go. Strangely enough, at the last moment, the usually crowded house was deserted excepting by two, who found themselves in one another’s arms.
“God bless you, Madge,” said the man. “I will come soon.”
“I shall be waiting,” answered the girl, simply.