“She is an only child,” remarked Hilda, “and her mother died while she was very young and I suppose her father indulged her too much.”
“Well, I reckon he thought he ought to put up with her bad temper, knowing that she got it from him. People that know him say that his high temper has been a terrible trial and cross to him, and he has grieved so much over it and over his unforgiving nature that he has bettered himself in both ways, as a minister ought to, if he expects to be an example for the people who hear him preach.”
“I do hope for Aunt Sarah’s sake that Lura will try to improve her temper; they are, as you know, to live together.”
“Yes, and Miss Lura will be boss. Mrs. Warfield will have to give the right of way to her, if I know anything about Miss Lura De Cormis. It makes me sorry to think of it, for a sweeter, nobler Christian woman does not live than Mrs. Warfield, and everybody that knows her loves her.
“People in Springfield who knew her and her sister Janette when they were young said they were rich orphan girls, and that they and their brother Herbert lost nearly all through the failure of people who had their money in trust, but that did not spoil their sweet dispositions. Just think how Mrs. Warfield struggled along and kept that farm for the boys, and with it her generous nature that oppresses nobody but helps everybody along! I do wish that Miss Lura had her sweet, kind disposition,” she concluded.
“Have you had any evidence of her temper, Mrs. Duvall?”
“Indeed I have! The last Sabbath school celebration we had, she had charge of one of the dinner tables, and my Johnny broke a tea cup. She was so angry at his carelessness, as she called it, that she shook him, and her black eyes fairly blazed. She made him pick up every scrap on a newspaper. She said that if I would make him behave himself at home, he would do so when out in company.”
Hilda had heard the subject of Miss Lura’s temper discussed, but not so freely as by Susie, and knew that what she said was entirely correct. In her own mind she believed that no one could resemble Jerusha Flint so closely without partaking of her nature. “I do hope that Cousin Paul has made a good choice,” she said sadly.
“I hope that both boys will make good choices. Folks say that Fred has a notion of getting married, too.”
“Do they?” asked Hilda, her face flushing.