“All right, Mater, just as you say. Really you ought to join a Don’t Worry Club.”
“One member in the family is quite sufficient. And I expect you to devote yourself to Caroline from now on. That girl is lonely, and when you get the combination of a lonely romantic young girl and a good-looking and interesting young fellow, even though he is as poor as a church mouse, anything may happen. Add to that the influence of an unpractical but sharp old Yankee relative and guardian—then the situation is positively dangerous.”
CHAPTER XIII
An important event was about to take place. At least, it seemed important to Captain Elisha, although the person most intimately concerned appeared to have forgotten it entirely. He ventured to remind her of it.
“Caroline,” he said, “Sunday is your birthday, ain’t it?”
His niece looked at him in surprise. “Yes,” she answered, “it is. How did you know?”
“Why, I remembered, that’s all. Graves, the lawyer man, told me how old you and Stevie were, fust time I met him. And his partner, Mr. Sylvester, gave me the date one day when he was goin’ over your pa’s will. You’ll be twenty years old Sunday, won’t you?”
“Yes.”