Lou, without knocking, walked into the
hall and turning to the right entered the big sitting room. Its lone
occupant sat up with a jerk, wiping the drowsiness out of his eyes with
the back of his hand. He had been taking a cat nap on his ancient sofa;
his long white back hair was tousled up comically behind his bald pink
brow.

"Why, hello, honey!" he said heartily, rising to his feet and bowing
with a quaint ceremonial gesture that contrasted with and yet somehow
matched the homeliness of his greeting. "You slipped in so quiet on them
dainty little feet of yours I never heared you comin' a-tall." He took
her small hands in his broad pudgy ones, holding her off at arm's
length. "And don't you look purty! Mighty nigh any woman looks cool and
sweet when she's got on white fixin's, but when a girl like you puts 'em
on--well, child, there ain't no use talkin', you shorely are a sight to
cure sore eyes. And you git to favour your sweet mother more and more
every day you live. I can't pay you no higher compliment than that. Set
down in that cheer yonder, where I kin look at you whilst we visit."

"I'd rather sit here by you, sir, on the sofa, if you don't mind," she
said.

"Suit yourself, honey."

She settled herself upon the sofa and he let his bulky frame down
alongside her, taking one of her hands into his. Her free hand played
with one of the big buttons on the front of her starched linen skirt and
she looked, not at him, but at the shining disk of pearl, as he said:

"Well, Emmy Lou, whut brings you 'way out here to my house in the heat
of the day?"

She turned her face full upon him then and he saw the brooding in her
eyes and gave her hand a sympathetic little squeeze.

"Judge," she told him, "you went to so much trouble on my account and
Mildred's when we were still minors that I hate to come now worrying you
with my affairs. But somehow I felt that you were the one for me to turn
to."

"Emmy Lou," he said very gravely, "your father was one of the best men
that ever lived and one of the best friends ever I had on this earth.
And no dearer woman than your mother ever drawed the breath of life. It
was a mighty proud day fur me and fur Lew Lake when he named us two as
the guardians of his children, and it was a pleasure to both of us to
help look to your interests after he was took from us. Why, when your
mother went too, I'd a' liked the best in the world to have adopted you
two children outright." He chuckle