Mrs. Myles smiled through her tears. “Thank you, child,” she said, patting Veve’s hand. “No, I can’t take the pillow. It would mean nothing to me now in any case. My life is ended.”
Lapsing into a moody silence, she said no more during the ride to Miss Gordon’s home.
During the next week and a half, the Brownies saw Mrs. Myles infrequently. Nevertheless, she managed to dominate their lives.
Whenever they called at Miss Gordon’s home, they found her occupying a rocker in the sun room. She complained constantly about her “hard lot,” yet made no attempt to plan a future.
The Brownies knew Miss Gordon was worried because the old lady took so much of her time. She was forced to cancel a Brownie meeting. Unable to take the girls to the tree house, she asked Mrs. Davidson to drive them there in her car.
“Were losing Miss Gordon,” Veve declared one day when the girls were all at the tree house. “It’s Mrs. Myles’ fault too! I don’t think it’s fair of her to take up so much of anyone’s time.”
“Mrs. Myles doesn’t mean to be selfish,” Connie defended her. “She just doesn’t think, that’s all.”
Mrs. Davidson told the girls she did not believe very much could be done to change the unfortunate situation.
“Miss Gordon can’t very well send Mrs. Myles to the county home,” she said. “She has no other place to go.”
“She could live with her brother,” Veve insisted.