ever. Self-will, self-pride,
and self-righteousness were big in him, and so the supper had ended in
silence, and with a little attack of coughing on the part of Cassy, which
made her angry at herself. Then the boy had been put to bed, and she had
come back to await the expected outburst. She could feel it in the air,
and while her blood tingled in a desire to fight this tyrant to the bitter
end, she thought of her boy and his future, and she calmed the tumult in
her veins.

She did not have to wait very long. The querulous voice of the old man
broke the silence.

"When be you goin' back East? What time did you fix for goin'?" he asked.

She raised her head and looked at him squarely. "I didn't fix any time for
going East again," she replied. "I came out West this time to stay."

"I thought you was on the stage," was the rejoinder.

"I've left the stage. My voice went when I got a bad cold again, and I
couldn't stand the draughts of the theatre, and so I couldn't dance,
either. I'm finished with the stage. I've come out here for good and
all."

"Where did you think of livin' out here?"

"I'd like to have gone to Lumley's, but that's not possible, is it?
Anyway, I couldn't afford it now. So I thought I'd stay here, if there was
room for me."

"You want to board here?"

"I didn't put it to myself that way. I thought perhaps you'd be glad to
have me. I'm handy. I can cook, I can sew, and I'm quite cheerful and
kind. Then there's George--little George. I thought you'd like to have
your grandson here with you."

"I've lived without him--or his father--for eight years, an' I could bear
it awhile yet, mebbe."

There was a half-choking sound from the old woman in the rocking-chair,
but she did not speak, though her knitting dropped into her lap.

"But if you knew us better, perhaps you'd like us better," rejoined Cassy,
gently. "We're both pretty easy to get on with, and we see the bright side
of things. He has a wonderful disposition, has George."

"I ain't goin' to like you any better," said the old man, getting to his
feet. "I ain't goin' to give you any rights here. I've thought it out, and
my mind's made up. You can't come it over me. You ruined my boy's life and
sent him to his grave. He'd have lived to be an old man out here; but you
spoiled him. You trapped him into marrying you, with your kicking and your
comic songs, and your tricks of the stage, and you parted us--parted him
and me forever."

"That w