In the heat of his sympathy, he confided to his grandmother what he
had seen of the darkened wagon the night they met the Virginians at
the large camp.
The paw paw stick had been laid upon the fire. It blackened
frowningly. But Robert and Corinne had known many an apple sprout to
preach them such a discourse as it had done, without enforcing the
subject matter more heavily.
Grandma Padgett reported that she had searched for her missing
family in the show tent, though she could not see why any sensible
boy or girl would want to enter such a place. And it was clear to her
the child might be afraid of such creatures, and very probable that
she did not belong to them by ties of blood. But they might prove her
lawful guardians and cause a small moving party a great deal of
trouble. "But we won't let them find her again," said aunt Corinne.
"Ma, mayn't I keep her for my little sister?--and Bobaday would like
to have another aunt."
"Then we'd be stealing her," said Grandma Padgett. "If she's a lost
child she ought to be restored to her people, and travelling along
the 'pike we can't keep the showmen from finding her."
Bobaday and Corinne gazed pensively at the stump fire, wondering how
grown folks always saw the difficulties in doing what you want to do.
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