Harry looked at her dubiously—it sure was hard to “get her goat” these days.
“You’re gettin’ sillier ev’ry day,” Mabel said to her sister. “You’ll never find another chance like Joe Campbell—they don’t grow round on bushes. S’pose you’d rather sit all night ’n’ read one of those no-ovuls uh yours. It’s hard to figure you out.”
“In the first place he hasn’t asked me to marry him yet,” Blanche answered, “and besides, I don’t see why all of you have to butt into my affairs so much. I never tell any of you people what to do.”
“Well, don’t forget, I’m your father, and I’m gonna have somethin’ to say ’bout who you hitch up with,” Will Palmer said.
“Nobody’ll stop you from saying it, but I’m no good at being bossed around,” she retorted coolly.
“We’ll see ’bout that, we’ll see,” her father responded with a heavy emphasis.
This daughter of his was becoming too high-handed, and he would probably have to use harsh measures to her for her own good, but as long as the matter remained one of verbal exchanges there was nothing that he could do about it. Just let her start something, though!
“We’re all jes’ tryin’ to look out f’r you, Blanie dear,” her mother said. “You shouldn’t get so uppity about it, you shouldn’t.”
“I can take care of myself—I’ve had to do it long enough, ma,” Blanche responded.
“We’ll, I’m with you all the time, and that’s no lie,” Philip said.