“An outrageous thing!”

Which relieved his feelings, but didn’t help any one else.

Mrs. Frederick wept. Cousin Stickles took up the refrain between her moans of despair.

“I told her — we both told her — that Roaring Abel had certainly killed his wife in one of his drunken rages and would kill her. She laughed and said, ‘I’m not afraid of Roaring Abel. He won’t kill me, and he’s too old for me to be afraid of his gallantries.’ What did she mean? What are gallantries?”

Mrs. Frederick saw that she must stop crying if she wanted to regain control of the conversation.

“I said to her, ‘Valancy, if you have no regard for your own reputation and your family’s