"Who was that pedlar that was here this afternoon, Mattie?" she demanded as soon as she arrived.
Mattie smiled. "Jed Crane," she said. "He's home from the West and driving a tin-wagon for the Boones."
Selena gave a little gasp. She sat down on the lowest step and untied her bonnet strings.
"Mattie Adams! And you kept him hanging about the whole afternoon."
"Why not?" said Mattie wickedly. She liked to alarm Selena. "Jed and I were always beaus, you know."
"Mattie Adams! You don't mean to say you're going to make a fool of yourself over Jed Crane again? A woman of your age!"
"Don't get excited, Selena," implored Mattie. In the old days Selena could cow her, but that time was past. "I never saw the like of you for getting stirred up over nothing."
"I'm not excited. I'm perfectly calm. But I might well be excited over your folly, Mattie Adams. The idea of your taking up again with old Jed Crane!"
"He's fifteen years younger than Jim," said Mattie, giving thrust for thrust.
When Selena had come over Mattie had not the slightest idea of resuming her former relationship with the romantic Jedediah. She had merely shown him kindness for old friendship's sake. But so well did the unconscious Selena work in Jed's behalf that when she flounced off home in a pet Mattie was resolved that she would take Jed back if he wanted to come. She wasn't going to put up with Selena's everlasting interference. She would show her that she was independent.