357Sherm grinned and looked uncomfortable.
The Captain was merciful; he changed the subject.
“Isn’t the middle of May a little early to close school?”
“No, it is the usual time. You see the older children have to help at home as soon as the weather gets warm.”
“Of course. What are you going to do this summer?”
“Wish Ernest was home,” Jane answered pertly, but there was a wistful look in her eyes.
Before the Captain could reply, Wing came to the door to announce a man to see him. The Captain was gone some time. When he returned, he explained that it was a buyer from Kansas City after his corn, and he should have to leave them to entertain themselves for a while.
“I’ll tell you what you can do,” he paused in the doorway as the idea occurred to him. “You two may rummage in the drawers of the cabinet. Take out anything you like the looks of. I think you will find a lot of interesting stuff there. Make yourselves at home.”
They lingered, discussing the room for several minutes after his departure, then Jane went over to the cabinet.
“Come on–there are heaps of wonderful things 358here. He showed me some of them the day I ran off and came to see him on my own hook. That’s a year ago! My, I feel as if it were a dozen–it seems as if I were just a little girl then.”