Sez I, “Mebby he won’t.”
“Why, he must,” sez Maggie; “it is right that he should; I shall make him.”
“Wall,” sez I, “you must do what you think is right. I am fairly dumbfounded, and don’t know what to do,” sez I.
Maggie got up sort o’ quick and rung the bell, and asked to have Dan sent up to her room.
And pretty soon he come in, a tall, hulkin’ chap, good-natered but utterly irresponsible, so he seemed to me, black as a coal.
And Maggie laid his sins down before him as soft as she could and still be just, and ended by tellin’ him that he must marry Rosy.
This seemed to astound him that she should ask it; he looked injured and aggrieved.
But Maggie pressed the point. He stood twirlin’ his old cap in his hand in silence.
He did not deny his guilt at all, but he wuz surprised at the punishment she meted out to him.
Finally he spoke. “I tell you what, Miss Margaret, it is mighty hard on a fellah if you make a fellah marry everybody he pays attentions to.”