Austin promised Nell he would talk to him about it that
evening, thus giving him all the time possible.
When Austin came home that evening it was to face the angriest girl he had
ever seen. She was fairly bursting with indignation. Her black eyes snapped
and her face was red with suppressed emotion.
"Austin, Austin, what do you think! Oh, it is too awful that he would be so
mean! Papa gave me a little, old, ten-dollar bill! Think of it, after all
my plans, and he knows how much I need. I told him at the first it would
take all of fifty to get the things we really need. And he gave this as
though he was doing me a great favor," and the girl, unable longer to
suppress her emotions, burst into a torrent of sobs, and tears.
Austin stood without saying a word, looking at her. He felt stunned. Though
he had long ago lost faith in his father, yet he had not thought he would
be so contemptible as this showed him to be. His pity as well as his love
for the child before him was unbounded, and he sought with all the tender
words he could think of to comfort her. He promised to add a little to the
ten so that she might get a few of the things she had hoped for, but he
knew it was not much that he could do.
"No, Austin, I might as well give up the trip. With the little dab I would
have I could do nothing. Oh, I wanted to throw it in his face!" and a fresh
burst of sobs drowned her voice.
"Nell, you will not disappoint me like that.
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