"Well, Ans, that settles it. We're orphaned again, sure." He tried to give a little touch of jocoseness to it, but failed miserably.
"Yes," Anson sighed deeply, "we'll haf t' stand it, I s'pose, but it's tough."
It was hard, but it would have been harder had not the rush and push of the harvest come upon them just as it did. They never spoke of the matter again, except as a matter settled, till they received a letter from the young people asking their consent to an early marriage.
They both read the letter, and then Anson said, without raising his eyes:
"Well, what d' you think of it?"
"Oh, we might as well say yes," replied Bert irritably.
"But she's so young."
"She seems so to us, but my mother was married at fifteen. If she's going to leave us, why, the sooner she has a home the better, I s'pose."
"I s'pose you're right. But I'd rather have 'em put it off a year."
"Oh, a year wouldn't make any difference, and besides, you can't stop the thing now. She's out of our hands."