Once the excitement would have thrilled his heart with joyful expectancy, but now it awakened only slight interest, although the twins could not talk of anything else.
Said Patty joyously:
“If we strike oil, gran’ther, mayn’t we move down to Clarksburg, to live in a nice house? I should admire to live in the city, and see and be seen!”
Lydia added:
“We should want fine clothes and jewelry, too, and to go to the theatres every night, and money to buy chocolates every day. Oh, I shall be so happy! And what if we could afford to go to Niagara Falls, the dream of my life!” she clapped her hands in delight, while Miss Ruttencutter chimed in:
“The dream of my life is to have a brown silk frock, with jet trimmin’s onto it; an’ a brown velvet bonnet, all covered in green feathers; an’ a seal plush cape to go with ’em. An’ if I had a ch’ice to go anywheres on the kyars, I’d ruther go to Charleston an’ see the gov’ner an’ the legislatour, an’ all the big men o’ our State.”
“A fig for the big men, unless I could marry one, and I don’t know as I care so much about that! I’ve heard tell that all these celebrated men have to get old before they get famous, and I don’t want any old man, thank you, but a handsome young one!” cried Patty. “If I could go to any grand place, ’twould be New York, where all the poor girls have romantic adventures and marry grand swells!”
“Pooh, that’s only in novels, Pat!” laughed Lydia.
“I’d take my chances on its being true!” Patty retorted confidently, with a glance at her glowing brunette charms in the little cracked mirror.
Thus they beguiled the long, snowy days of the dreary winter with hopeful anticipations, but with Gran’ther Groves it was quite different. To the two girls life was in its hopeful spring, but his in the sere and yellow leaf.