Olive Higgins Prouty

“ David was not in evidence at all when she first arrived. He had shut himself up in his room upon his arrival from the factory (he looked upon Cousin Pattie's advent as a personal injury) and he stayed there until Aunt Augusta's "David! David! Supper!" crescendoing from the newel-post had routed him out.
All through the evening meal it seemed to Reba as if she couldn't endure it if some one didn't say something besides "Yes," and "No," and "You don't say!" in response to Cousin Pattie's tireless attempts at friendliness. David didn't give voice to as much as that. ”

“ Mrs. O'Brien was a very old Irish woman who washed sheets, towels, and flannels at the Jerome house every other week, and on the two or three occasions when the minister and his wife had been invited for Sunday dinner she had cleared the table and brought on the dessert.
"No, you needn't," snapped Aunt Augusta. "We'll put on no lugs for Patience Patterson."
"Oh, do let me run down to Buffum's and get a quart of oysters for a stew," pleaded Reba. "It won't take me ten minutes."
"Certainly not," replied Aunt Augusta. "Cold lamb, and bread and butter's good enough for any one." ”

“ You don't look a day older."
"Well, I am!" snapped Aunt Augusta.
"The only change I see," unscathed Cousin Pattie went on, "is in Reba here. She was just a child when I was here before, and now I expect she's old enough to get married. Perhaps she's going to be, for all I know. Perhaps the day's all set. Dear me! You know the girls over there in Japan get married—" and she launched forth on a long lively description of Japanese customs. David, at this juncture, with no excuse or word of explanation, shoved back his chair and went out of the room. ”