"
"That sounds mighty good to me!" said Mr. Ranny with the look of a
prisoner who is promised a parole. "When do you have to give an answer?"
"My option is up at midnight."
"Good heaven! You don't mean to-night?"
"Yes, sir: not a minute later."
"I am afraid that settles it, as far as I'm concerned."
"No, it doesn't!" insisted Mrs. Ranny. "If you really want it, there is
no reason you shouldn't have it. The ground alone is worth the price
asked. Let the others go back to the car while you and I talk the matter
over. It's the chance we've been looking for for ten years, and I'm not
going to let it slip."
The next hour was one Eleanor never forgot. She and Quin, confident of
the success of their conspiracy, were also jubilant over what they
regarded as Mr. Ranny's possible emancipation. They already saw him a
reformed character, a prosperous and contented farmer, no longer a menace
to the peace of the family. So elated were they that, instead of going to
the road, they explored the woods, and ended by racing down the hill like
a couple of irresponsible children.
When they at last got back to the car, Eleanor, disheveled and limp, sank
on the running-board and laughingly made room for Quin beside her.
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