“You don’t mean he would punish you—that he would lay hands on you?” begged Elfreda.
“Him wallop me? Wal, I reckon not! I ain’t packin’ no gun for nothin’.”
“Judy!” cried Nora. “You mustn’t say such things. Why not let us ask your father to let you go with us?”
“Ask him?” Judy shook her head with emphasis. “You folks keep away from Pap if you know what’s good for you. Pap’s got a grouch on most of the time, and he ain’t particular ’bout who knows it. You keep away from Pap, ’cause he don’t set much store by this here outfit. He reckons as you ain’t got no business here, an’ if you come foolin’ round he’ll chase you out. Would you go?” she demanded abruptly.
“It has been tried on us on other occasions, but up to the present time we have never gone until we were quite ready to do so,” answered Miss Briggs.
“I wondered what you’d do, when I dreamed somethin’ ’bout you last night—”
“Dreamed? Do you dream, Judy?” cried Emma, her face full of sudden interest.
“I reckon I do. I dreamed ’bout that actor feller for a month.”
“Oh, isn’t that adorable!” bubbled Emma. “The imponderable quality is working in you. Listen, dear. When you have another dream, you come straight to me and I’ll make a psychoanalysis of it and tell you what it means.”
“My gosh! If I could talk like that I’d be a real lady, wouldn’t I? Where you goin’ from here?”