Betty flushed furiously. She always felt it an accusation to be called "young and skinny."
"Better to be young and skinny than to be old and fat, ain't it, honey?" Mr. Emmit suggested.
Then he turned to his wife.
"You're tired, aren't you?" he asked, eyeing her keenly. "Bag heavy, eh?"
But his straight, slim, little wife ignored his question and began talking to Mrs. Catt as quickly as possible.
"So you're here to preach temperance, are you?" she asked in a pleasant tone. "I'm mighty glad someone's taking it up. But to think it should be an outsider! Here's the Church preaching the 'Word of Wisdom' all these years, and telling the people not to drink and smoke, and you've come to tell them to obey the Church!"
Mr. Emmit laughed and there was a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
"You'll be disappointing yourself, if you try to deprive Ephraim of its home brewed ale. It's the one small sin that gives us a big lot of pleasure here."
"Do you think that any sin is small?" asked the reformer sweetly, with her direct gaze compelling honest Ford Emmit to answer squarely.
"Well, no, if you put it that way, but—"