“Oh, I was feeling so at home,” answered Kate, suavely.  “Father and the boys hold exactly those opinions and practise them in precisely the same way; only if I were to think about it at all, I should think that a man within a year of finishing a medical course would begin exercising politeness with every woman he meets.  I believe a doctor depends on women to be most of his patients, and women don’t like a rude doctor.”

“Rot!” said George Holt.

“Miss Bates is exactly right,” said his mother.  “Ain’t I been tellin’ you the whole endurin’ time that you’d never get a call unless you practised manners as well as medicine?  Ain’t I, now?”

“Yes, you have,” he said, angrily.  “But if you think all of a sudden that manners are so essential, why didn’t you hammer some into me when you had the whip hand and could do what you pleased?  You didn’t find any fault with my manners, then.”

“How of all the world was I to know that you’d grow up and go in for doctorin’?  I s’pos’d then you’d take the farm an’ run it like your pa did, stead of forcin’ me to sell it off by inches to live, an’ then you wastin’ half the money.”

“Go it, Mother,” said George Holt, rudely.  “Tell all you know, and then piece out with anything you can think of that you don’t.”

Mrs. Holt’s face flushed crimson.  She looked at Kate and said vindictively:  “If you want any comfort in life, never marry and bring a son inter the world.  You kin humour him, and cook for him, an work your hands to the bone fur him, and sell your land, and spend all you can raise educatin’ him for half a dozen things, an’ him never stickin to none or payin’ back a cent, but sass in your old age —­ "

“Go it, Mother, you’re doing fine!” said George.  “If you keep on Miss Bates will want to change her boarding place before morning.”

“It will not be wholly your mother’s fault, if I do,” said Kate.  “I would suggest that if we can’t speak civilly, we eat our supper in silence.  This is very good food; I could enjoy it, if I had a chance.”

She helped herself to another soda biscuit and a second piece of fried chicken and calmly began eating them.

“That’s a good idy!” said Mrs. Holt.

“Then why don’t you practice it?” said her son.

Thereupon began a childish battle for the last word.  Kate calmly arose, picked up her plate, walked from the room, down the hall, and entering her own room, closed the door quietly.

“You fool!  You great big dunderheaded fool!” cried Mrs. Holt.  “Now you have done it, for the thousandth time.  She will start out in less than no time to find some place else to stay, an’ who could blame her?  Don’t you know who she is?  Ain’t you sense in your head?  If there was ever a girl you ort to go after, and go quick an’ hard, there she is!”

“What?  That big beef!  What for?” asked George.

“You idjit!  You idjit!  Don’t you sense that she’s a daughter of Adam Bates?  Him they call the Land King.  Ain’t you sense ner reason?  Drive her from the house, will you?  An’ me relyin’ on sendin’ you half her board money to help you out?  You fool!”