"
"What does Ruth--what do they think of it--up there?"
"They don't know anything about it. Mrs. Winfield went away early this
morning. Mr. Keggs said she had had a telephone call, Mrs. Porter is in
Boston. She will be back to-day some time. What are we to do?"
"Do!" Kirk jumped up and began to pace the floor. "I'll tell you what
I'm going to do. Steve has taken the boy up to my shack in Connecticut.
I'm going there as fast as the auto can take me."
"Steve's mad!"
"Is he? Steve's the best pal I've got. For two years I've been aching
to get at this boy, and Steve has had the sense to show me the way."
He went on as if talking to himself.
"Steve's a man. I'm just a fool who hangs round without the nerve to
act. If I had had the pluck of a rabbit I'd have done this myself six
months ago. But I've hung round doing nothing while that damned Porter
woman played the fool with the boy. I'll be lucky now if he remembers
who I am."
He turned abruptly to Mamie.
"Mamie, you can tell them whatever you please when you get home. They
can't blame you. It's not your fault. Tell them that Steve was acting
for me with my complete approval. Tell them that the kid's going to be
brought up right from now on. I've got him, and I'm going to keep him."
Mamie had risen and was facing him, a very determined midget, pink and
resolute.
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