She saw his hesitation and spoke up. "Oh, that 's all right. Let
by-gones be by-gones. You know I ain't the kin' o' person that holds a
grudge ag'in anybody."

"That 's right, Minty, that 's right," he said, and gave her his
mother's address. Then he hastened home to prepare the way for Minty's
coming. Joe had no doubt but that his mother would see the matter quite
as he saw it, and be willing to temporise with Minty; but he had
reckoned without his host. Mrs. Hamilton might make certain concessions
to strangers on the score of expediency, but she absolutely refused to
yield one iota of her dignity to one whom she had known so long as an
inferior.

"But don't you see what she can do for us, ma? She knows people that I
know, and she can ruin me with them."

"I ain't never bowed my haid to Minty Brown an' I ain't a-goin' to do
it now," was his mother's only reply.

"Oh, ma," Kitty put in, "you don't want to get talked about up here, do
you?"

"We 'd jes' as well be talked about fu' somep'n we did n't do as fu'
somep'n we did do, an' it would n' be long befo' we 'd come to dat if we
made frien's wid dat Brown gal. I ain't a-goin' to do it. I 'm ashamed
o' you, Kitty, fu' wantin' me to."

The girl began to cry, while her brother walked the floor angrily.

"You 'll see what 'll happen," he cried; "you 'll see."