"And did you really get into the crater?" asked Mrs. Willoughby, with a shudder.
"Oh, I suppose so. They all said so," said Minnie, folding her little hands in front of her. "I only remember some smoke, and then jolting about dreadfully on the shoulder of some great—big—awful—man."
"Oh dear!" sighed Mrs. Willoughby.
"What's the matter, Kitty dearest?"
"Another man!" groaned her sister.
"Well, and how could I help it?" said Minnie. "I'm sure I didn't want him. I'm sure I think he might have let me alone. I don't see why they all act so. I wish they wouldn't be all the time coming and saving my life. If people will go and save my life, I can't help it. I think it's very, very horrid of them."
"Oh dear! oh dear!" sighed her sister again.
"Now, Kitty, stop."
"Another man!" sighed Mrs. Willoughby.
"Now, Kitty, if you are so unkind, I'll cry. You're always teasing me. You never do any thing to comfort me. You know I want comfort, and I'm not strong, and people all come and save my life and worry me; and I really sometimes think I'd rather not live at all if my life has to be saved so often. I'm sure I don't know why they go and do it. I'm sure I never heard of any person who is always going and getting her life saved, and bothered, and proposed to, and written to, and chased, and frightened to death. And I've a great mind to go and get married, just to stop it all. And I'd just as soon marry this last man as not, and make him drive all the others away from me. He's big enough."