They sometimes wondered where the young girl had gone, and dreaded lest she should come back and be forgiven by the weak old man; but they remained as ignorant as any of her whereabouts until two weeks later old Sam Brown dismounted from his bay mare at their gate, and stalking into the warm kitchen, announced without preamble that Eva was at his house, mad as a March hare, and he was going to send her to Weston. “’Cause how I’ve had two doctors setting on the case, and they both pernounce her crazy, poor little thing, and though not violent now, she may git so any time, and it’s better to let the State take care of her, unless you folkses want her back here!” he said pointedly. “Oh, why did you blurt it out before gran’ther? ’Tis so dreadful, we didn’t want him to know!” frowned Patty. But she was too late. The old man had heard all. He could not speak; he only gazed at his visitor with glazing eyes and a horrified face, while Patty, emboldened by his silence, added angrily: “No, indeed, we don’t want her back here, she who caused our poor Terry to be murdered for her badness! Gran’ther drove her away, and he won’t never take her back. He hates her like poison! You can send her off to Weston to-morrow. We don’t want no crazy people at Stony Ledge!” Cousin Tab and Lydia backed her up in her declaration so vehemently that the old farmer regretted he had ridden nine miles through nipping cold, on his errand of mercy. But yet he thought Gran’ther Groves ought to have leave to express himself, so turning to him he said: “Do you ’low your women folkses to speak for you, gran’ther, ’ithout a word for yourself?” Gran’ther Groves mumbled something in a voice of agony, but his words were indistinguishable because his tongue had suddenly begun to swell in his mouth and his eyes were rolling wildly about in their sockets, presenting a ghastly sight. Patty stamped her foot at Mr. Brown in a towering rage, hissing: “You silly old fool, let him alone! Don’t you see you’re tormenting him into another of his awful fits, and may be the cause of his death with your meddling?” “Lordy, I never meant to rile you wimmen folkses up! ’Cause I understand that poor little Eva’s disgrace goes agin’ her with you all! But I thought as it might be diff’runt with that ole sinner that turned her out o’ doors to freeze and starve to death! I had a mind he might be repenting by now, but if he lets you wimmen folkses speak for him, I’ve done with meddling, as you call it. So good-by, and may God reward you all according to your evil works!” testily answered Brown, striding toward the door. But before he reached it he turned his head unwillingly at sound of a blood-curdling groan from gran’ther, and saw him falling from his chair in a fit, as Patty had foreboded. It was only Christian charity to run back to help them, but Miss Ruttencutter said severely: