"Well, she better make it a good long hide, until he has had
plenty of time to cool off. He'd have killed me if he had caught
me, after he fell -- and wasted all those potatoes already cooked
----"
Kate laughed a dry hysterical laugh, but the boy sat white-faced
and awed.
"Never mind," said Kate, seeing how frightened he was. "When he
has had plenty of time he'll cool off; but he'll never get over
it. I hope he doesn't beat Mother, because I was born."
"Oh, drat such a man!" said young Adam. "I hope something worse
that this happens to him. If ever I see Father begin to be the
least bit like him as he grows older I shall ----"
"Well, what shall you do?" asked Kate, as he paused.
"Tell Ma!" cried young Adam, emphatically.
Kate leaned her face in her hands and laughed. When she could
speak she said: "Do you know, Adam, I think that would be the
very best thing you could do."
"Why, of course!" said Adam.
They drove swiftly and reached Walden before ten o'clock. There
they inquired their way to the home of the Trustee, but Kate said
nothing about giving up the school. She merely made a few
inquiries, asked for the key of the schoolhouse, and about
boarding places. She was directed to four among which she might
choose.
"Where would you advise me to go?" she asked the Trustee.
"Well, now, folks differ," said he. "All those folks is
neighbours of mine and some might like one, and some might like
another, best. I COULD say this: I think Means would be the
cheapest, Knowls the dearest, but the last teacher was a good one,
an' she seemed well satisfied with the Widder Holt."
"I see," said Kate, smiling.
Then she and young Adam investigated the schoolhouse and found it
far better than any either of them had ever been inside. It
promised every comfort and convenience, compared with schools to
which they had been accustomed, so they returned the keys,
inquired about the cleaning of the building, and started out to
find a boarding place. First they went to the cheapest, but it
could be seen at a glance that it was too cheap, so they
eliminated that. Then they went to the most expensive, but it was
obvious from the house and grounds that board there would be more
than Kate would want to pay.
"I'd like to save my digestion, and have a place in which to
study, where I won't freeze," said Kate, "but I want to board as
cheaply as I can. This morning changes my plans materially. I
shall want to go to school next summer part of the time, but the
part I do not, I shall have to pay my way, so I mustn't spend
money as I thought I would. Not one of you will dare be caught
doing a thing for me. To make you safe I'll stay away, but it
will cost me money that I'd hoped to have for clothes like other
girls."