“Don’t mind me,” returned Fenn, and smiled with a dim reflection of the old incandescence of his youth.
Fenn’s hands trembled a little, but his eyes were steady and his voice clear. His clothes were shabby but decent, and his whole appearance was that of one who is making it a point to keep up. When Grant had finished his correspondence, and was sealing up his letters, Fenn lent a hand and began:
“Well, Grant, I’m in trouble–Oh, it’s not that,” he 489laughed as Grant looked quickly into the clean, alert old face. “That’s not bothered me for–Oh, for two years now. But it’s Violet–she wants me to marry her.” He blurted it out as if it had been pent in, and was hard to hold.
“Why–well–what makes you–well, has she proposed, Henry?” asked the younger man.
“Naw–of course not,” answered Fenn. “Boy, you don’t know anything about women.”
Fenn shook his head knowingly, and winked one eye slowly. “Children–she’s set the children on me. You know, Grant–” he turned his smile on with what candlepower he could muster, “that’s my other weakness–children. And they’re the nicest children in the world. But I can’t–I tell you, man, I can’t,” protested Mr. Fenn, as if he believed Grant in league with the woman to kidnap him.
“Well, then, don’t,” said Grant, rising and gathering up his mail.
“But how can I help it?” Fenn cried helplessly. “What can a man do? Those kids need a father. I need a family–I’ve always needed a family–but I don’t want Violet–nor any one else.” Grant towed him along to the restaurant, and they sat alone. After Grant had ordered his supper he asked, “Henry–why can’t you marry Violet? She’s a sensible, honest woman–she’s got over her foolishness; what’s wrong with her?”
“Why, of course, she is a good woman. If you’d see her chasing out nights–picking up girls, mothering ’em, loving ’em, working with ’em–she knows their language; she can talk to ’em so they get it. And I’ve known her time and again to get scent of a new girl over there at Bessie Wilson’s and go after her and pull her out and start her right again. I tell you, Grant, Violet has her weaknesses–as to hair ribbons and shirtwaists and frills for the kids–but she’s got a heart, Grant–a mighty big heart.”
“Then why not marry her?” persisted Grant.