Page 19 - MailOrderBrideFlipBook

present. She was even more the victim here than he was. He spoke quietly to Whitman. “You can’t lock her up. It’s not right. She hasn’t done anything wrong.” Whitman stopped tapping his pencil and pointed it at Eli. “I’m just following the law.” Jim poked Whitman with his cane. “It seems to me the law can be bent a little bit here.” Whitman pushed the cane away. “I can’t break the law.” Jim turned the can back and gave Whitman another prod. “We didn’t say break it! We said bend it! Like you did when your nephew was caught stealing candy from the...” “Okay, okay!” Whitman interrupted. “Maybe we can give a little. We could let her stay here as long as the captain is in port. That would give Eli some time to make a rational decision.” “But where she stay?” the captain asked. “She no stay on ship.” Jim lowered his cane and leaned on it. “She can’t stay with us. What would the town folk say?” “Heaven knows what they’ll say anyway,” Eli groaned. Jim pursed his lips, looking narrowly at Whitman. “That leaves only one place.” Whitman realized what Jim was meaning, and pointed his pencil at him. “Now, wait just a minute! I never volunteered to...” “Oh, come on, Whitman,” Jim said, jerking the pencil out of his hand and pointing it back at him. “All your children are gone, and you rumble around in that big 16