"And so full of fun and pluck," said Will.
"So bright and pretty," said Julia.
"Not a frill," said Ned.
"The jolliest girl I've ever seen," said Ethel.
"The finest girl living," said Fred.
"As deep as they make them," said Lyman. "Who else would have said about the Radical to the minister?"
Thus they spoke of the prankish boy with vast admiration and affection, and "May's" remarks and "May's" performances were reported by these young people to their elders and these, also, began to discuss "May Walcott" and to regard her as a clever, if unconventional girl. Even the judge's mother, who, since Gay's descent from the coach, had prophesied gloomily that "Miss Linn's niece would mortify her to death" suddenly changed her tune and declared that she had always liked the fresh, breezy ways of the child, and that she had known from the first that "May" was destined to be popular.
"Young people nowadays," quoth the judge's mother to the doctor's wife, "like somebody that has some life."
"She certainly has made those rough village boys quite gentlemanly," admitted the doctor's wife.
These rumors and rumors of rumors reached the ears of the Misses Linn and had much influence in reconciling them to their supposed niece's accident on the ball-field. They may have thought that it would not do to criticise such a popular young person, at all events they uttered no word of reproach, but devoted themselves lovingly to the care of the invalid.