"Don't mind what he says, Jack," whispered Ida, fearful lest he
should leave her.
"Don't be afraid, Ida; I won't leave you; I guess he won't trouble
us another day."
Meanwhile the boy, emboldened by Jack's passiveness, followed, with
more abuse of the same sort. If he had been wiser, he would have
seen a storm gathering in the flash of Jack's eye; but he mistook
the cause of his forbearance.
The next day, as they were again going to school, Ida saw the same
boy dodging round the corner, with his head bound up.
"What's the matter with him, Jack?" she asked.
"I licked him like blazes, that's all," said Jack, quietly.
"I guess he'll let us alone after this."
CHAPTER VIII.
A STRANGE VISITOR.
IT was about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, Mrs. Crump was in the
kitchen, busy in preparations for dinner, when a loud knock was
heard at the door.
"Who can it be?" ejaculated Mrs. Crump. "Aunt Rachel, there's
somebody at the door; won't you be kind enough to see who it is?"
"People have no business to call at such an hour in the morning,"
grumbled Aunt Rachel, as she laid down her knitting reluctantly, and
rose from her seat. "Nobody seems to have any consideration for
anybody else. But that's the way of the world."
Opening the outer door, she saw before her a tall woman, dressed in
a gown of some dark stuff, with marked, and not altogether pleasant
features.
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