a woman like Annabel,"
said Persis with unwonted pessimism. "And Thad's just young enough to
be proud of having that sort of acquaintance with a married woman. Men
are queer cattle, Mis' West. The worst woman living likes to pretend
to herself that she's as good as anybody, but a man who's been decent
from the cradle up, gets lots of comfort out of thinking he's a regular
devil. At the same time," she conceded, with a change of tone, "the
thing ought to be stopped."

"Of course it had. But how are we going to do it? I've talked to Thad
and talked to him, and so has his father. If I thought the minister
would have any influence--"

"You just let Thad alone for a spell," Persis commanded with her usual
decision. "And you leave this thing to me. I'll try to think a way
out."

This astonishing offer was made in a matter-of-fact tone, significant
in itself. Persis Dale earned her living as a dressmaker and pieced
out her income by acting as a nurse in the dull seasons, but her real
occupation in life was attending to other people's business. She had a
divine meddlesomeness. She was inquisitive after the fashion of a
sympathetic arch-angel. It appalled her to see people wrecking their
lives by indecision, vacillation, incapacity, by poor judgment and
crass stupidity. Her homely wisdom, the fruit of observant years, her
native common sense, her strength and discernment were all at the
service of the first comer. Responsibility, the bugbear of mankind,
was as the breath in her nostrils.

"I wouldn't do any more talking to Thad," Persis repeated, as Mrs. West
looked at her with the instant confidence of inefficiency in one who
indicates a readiness to take the helm. "Don't make him feel that he's
so awfully important just because he's making a fool of himself. Most
boys attract more attention the first time they kick over the traces
than they ever did in all their lives before. 'Tisn't any wonder to me
that the elder brother gets a little cranky when he sees the fuss made
over the prodigal, first because he's gone wrong and then because he's
going right, same as decent folks have been doing all the time."

"What do you mean to do, Persis?" Mrs. West's tone indicated that by
some mysterious legerdemain the burden had been shifted. It was now
Persis' problem.

"That'll bear thinking about," Persis returned with no sign of
resenting her friend's assumption. "And while I'm turning it over in
my mind, let