Blair and Ruth took him aside and began to broach the object of their visit. At first he was obstinate. He would not hear of the plan they proposed. In fact, he was not going away at all, he declared. He would not be run out of the County. He would stay and fight it out, and let them try him, if they wished to get all they wanted. He showed the butt of a pistol, with boyish pride.
In this state of the case, Ruth began to plead with him on his brother’s account, and Blair, as her argument, took Steve. They said he was bound in honor to go, if they wished it. Ruth deftly put in a word about Thurston, and the opportunity the trip would give Rupert to see the world. He could join in the campaigns against the Indians out there, if he wished; and, finally, she begged him to go and join Thurston, as a favor to her.
These arguments at length prevailed, and Rupert said he would go.
As his friends were soon to come for him, the girls had to leave, which they did after binding old Peggy over with many solemn promises not to breathe to a single soul a word of their visit. “If she does,” said Rupert, “I’ll come back here and make her think the Ku Klux are after her.” The old woman laughed at the threat.
“Go ’way from heah, boy! What you know ’bout Ku Klux? You done told too much ’bout ’em now.”
This home-thrust shut Rupert up. Blair put into his hand the package that Ruth had given her and kissed him good-by, and he turned to Ruth.
Ruth said, as she took his hand, “Rupert, I am going to ask you to grant me that favor you once promised me you would grant.”
The boy’s eyes lit up.
“I will do it.”
“I want you to promise me you will not drink any more.”