"
Whereat Fanny had been goaded into wishing the woman would mind her
own business! She did wish everybody would leave her and her affairs
alone! People had no right to talk! As for speaking to the minister;
let any one dare--!
As for Ellen Dix, she had never quite forgiven Lydia for innocently
acquiring the fox skin and she had by now almost persuaded herself
that she was passionately in love with Jim Dodge. She had always
liked him--at least, she had not actively disliked him, as some of
the other girls professed to do. She had found his satirical tongue,
his keen eyes and his real or affected indifference to feminine wiles
pleasantly stimulating. There was some fun in talking to Jim Dodge.
But of late she had not been afforded the opportunity. Fanny had
explained to Ellen that Jim was working terribly hard, often rising
at three and four in the morning to work on his own farm, and putting
in long days at the Bolton place.
"She seems to have most of the men in Brookville doing for her,"
Ellen had remarked coldly.
Then the girls had exchanged cautious glances.
"There's something awfully funny about her coming here, anyway," said
Ellen. "Everybody thinks it's queer."
"I expect she had a reason," said Fanny, avoiding Ellen's eyes.
After which brief interchange of opinion they had twined their arms
about each other's waists and squeezed wordless understanding and
sympathy. Henceforth, it was tacitly understood between the two girls
that singly and collectively they did not "like" Lydia Orr.
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