"Who's your uncle, child?" demanded the old lady, quickly. "And who's your father?"
Janice naturally answered the last question first, for her heart was full of her father and her separation from him. "Mr. Broxton Day is my father, and he used to live in Poketown. But he came away from there a long, long time ago."
"Yes? I knowed there was Days in Poketown; but I ain't been there myself for goin' on twelve year. I lived there a year, or so, arter my man died, with my darter. She's teached the Poketown school for twenty year."
"Oh!" cried Janice. "Then you can't really tell me what Poketown is like--now?"
"Why, it's quite a town, I b'lieve," said the old lady. "'Rill writes me thet the _ho_-tel's jest been painted, and there's a new blacksmith shop built. You goin' to school there--What did you say your name was?"
"Janice Day. I don't know whether I shall go to school while I am in Poketown, or not. If there are a whole lot of nice girls--and a few nice boys--who go to your daughter's school, I shall certainly want to go, too," continued Janice, smiling again at the little old lady.
"Wal, 'Rill Scattergood's teached long enough, _I_ tell her," declared the other. "I'm goin' to Poketown now more'n half to git her to give up at the end o' this term. With what she's laid by, and what I've got left, we could live mighty comfertable together. Who's your uncle, child?" pursued Mrs. Scattergood, who had not lost sight of her main inquiry.
"Mr. Jason Day. He's my father's half brother."
"Ya-as. I didn't know them Days very well when I lived there. How long did you say you was goin' to stay in Poketown?"
"I don't know, Ma'am," said Janice, sadly. "Father didn't know how long he'd be in Mexico----"
"Good Land o' Goshen!" ejaculated Mrs. Scattergood, suddenly, "ain't that where there's fightin' goin' on right now?"
"Yes'm. That's why he couldn't take me with him," confessed Janice, eager to talk with a sympathetic listener. "You see, I guess 'most all the money we've got is invested in some mine down there. The fighting came near the mine, and the superintendent ran away and left everything."
"Goodness! why wouldn't he?" exclaimed the old lady, knitting faster than ever in her excitement.