“I don’t know of anything special she wants,” said Mr. Evans, “except—” And briefly he told the judge about Katherine’s home troubles.
“Do you suppose she would take the money to go to college?” asked the judge.
Mr. Evans shook his head. “I’m afraid she won’t. I offered it to her myself. It seems that her mother is sick and her father is much discouraged and they want her at home to look after things. It was her own decision to go; she is determined to make the sacrifice for their sakes. It is a noble one, you must admit, and I would feel delicate about influencing her to do otherwise.”
“Hm,” said the judge. “No use offering her money then. But, by the way–what did you say was the name of the company that her father sank his money in?”
252“Pacific Refining Company,” said Mr. Evans.
“H-m-m-m,” said the judge. “I happen to know a little about that company. Peculiar case, very. Seemed sound as a rock, yet it failed through bad management. But I happen to know that if it were backed by somebody of good repute and put into the hands of an able manager it would pull through and pay dividends. Trouble is nobody wants to sink any more money in it. Possibly I could arrange to back it–Hm. I’ll see what can be done. Not a word to the girl about this, you understand, there’s nothing certain about it.”
Then Antha’s voice was heard calling for her father and away he went, leaving Mr. Evans and Uncle Teddy staring breathless after the man who proposed to revive dead ventures as casually as if he were talking about putting up screens.
“What are we going to do with Eeny-Meeny when we go home?” asked Gladys. That was a question nobody was prepared to answer offhand.
“Take her home and put her in the House of the Open Door,” said Sahwah.
“But hardly any of us will be there to see her,” objected Hinpoha, “and, anyway, it’s cruelty to dumb Indians to take them away from their native woods and shut them up in houses. I know Eeny-Meeny wouldn’t be happy there. I think we ought to leave her here on Ellen’s Isle.”