“Oh!” he said, carelessly. “So you’ve decided to take up with my offer, have you. You made up your minds pretty promptly, seems to me. I told you to take all the time you wanted.”
“Yes, I know you did. And I imagine you thought we wouldn’t take much. Well, you were right in one way. My mind was made up before I went to bed last night.”
“Um-hum.... And you are coming to-morrow? That is quick business, but it suits me if it does you. You can’t give up the post office as soon as that, though. You’ll have to attend to that until I can pick out somebody to take your place. It won’t take long. Once let it be known that the job is vacant and there’ll be plenty of candidates.”
“I don’t doubt it, but it isn’t goin’ to be known. I’m postmistress here at Harniss and I’m goin’ to keep the place. That is,” she added, tartly, “I am unless you or some of the rest of the smart wire-pullers work your schemes to have me put out.”
He regarded her keenly. “Now what do you mean by that?” he demanded. “Look here, Reliance, you ought to understand that if you come to my house to live you come as—well, as part of the family. You are Esther’s aunt and when you and she come here I can’t have you running back and forth to that post office. I’m figuring to take care of you and pay your bills.”
She silenced him with an impatient movement of her hand.
“There, there!” she exclaimed. “Don’t talk that way, or I shall lose my temper and say things that might just as well not be said. I haven’t yet quite got over your tellin’ me how you had me appointed to that office. You won’t have to pay my bills—no, nor Millard’s either. We aren’t comin’ to live with you.”
He bent forward in the chair. “What’s that!” he exclaimed. “Didn’t you just tell me you were coming?”
“Of course I didn’t. I told you that Esther Townsend was comin’. She is; she will be here to-morrow. But Reliance Clark isn’t comin’. No, nor Millard—unless he does somethin’ for once on his own hook and even then he’d have to do it over my dead body. The Clarks will stay in the house they rent of you—provided you don’t order ’em out—and pay that rent and their own bills same as they always have.... Oh, don’t pretend to look so surprised!” she added, sharply. “I can’t think you ever really expected me to do anything else.”
He was surprised, however. For a moment he stared at her, his brows drawn together and his eyes fixed upon her face. He saw no wavering resolution or pretense there.