Then he climbed into
the small seat at the rear and remarked:
"Let her go, Patty; and unless you sit still and behave yourself,
Mrs. O'Brien, you'll fall out and get damaged. Now be a nice cook,
and make the best of this. You're kidnapped, you see,--you can't
help yourself,--and so, what are you going to do about it?"
The cook sat bolt upright, her hard, unsmiling face looking
straight ahead, and she replied, between clenched teeth, "Wanst I
get out, I'll go straight back home, if it's a hundherd miles yez
do be takin' me!"
"Oh, don't do that," and Patty's voice was sweet and coaxing. "Let
me tell you something, Mrs. O'Brien. You know Susan Hastings,--
what a nice woman she is. Well, once I was in a great emergency,
worse even than to-day, and knowing the warm, kind hearts of the
Irish, I went to Susan and asked her to help me out. And she
did,--splendidly! Now, I know you've got that same warm Irish heart,
but for some reason you don't WANT to help me out of my trouble.
Won't you tell me WHAT that reason is?"
Mrs. O'Brien turned and looked at her.
"Me heart's warrum enough," she said, "an' I'd be glad to sarve
the likes of such a pretty leddy as yersilf,--but, I won't shtand
bein' carried off by kidnappers!"
"But listen," said Patty, who was beginning to hope she could
cajole the woman into a good humour; "you must realise that the
gentleman is a Western man.
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