That he had not
openly committed himself to any of Buckley's schemes, had signed no papers
and written no letters that would betray the conspiracy he had entered
into against Steve, filled him with joy. He had intended to be generous,
and even, if necessary, confess to Clara his indiscretion in talking of a
possible marriage, but when he got to the farm house and had taken Clara
into the parlor and had closed the door, he changed his mind. He told her
of Buckley's arrest, and then started tramping excitedly up and down in
the room. Her coolness infuriated him. "Don't set there like a clam!" he
shouted. "Don't you know what's happened? Don't you know you're disgraced,
have brought disgrace on my name?"
The angry father explained that half the town knew of her engagement to
marry Alfred Buckley, and when Clara declared they were not engaged and
that she had never intended marrying the man, his anger did not abate. He
had himself whispered the suggestion about town, had told Steve Hunter,
Gordon Hart, and two or three others, that Alfred Buckley and his daughter
would no doubt do what he spoke of as "hitting it off," and they had of
course told their wives. The fact that he had betrayed his daughter into an
ugly position gnawed at his consciousness. "I suppose the rascal told it
himself," he said, in reply to her statement, and again gave way to anger.
He glared at his daughter and wished she were a son so he could strike with
his fists.
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