Here was Kenneth
Ford who had come to call on the family and they were all unfortunately
out, and "the poor child" had had to entertain him alone. But Susan had
come to her rescue--Susan would do her part no matter how tired she
was.
"Dear me, how you have grown up," she said, looking at Ken's six feet of
khaki uniform without the least awe. Susan had grown used to khaki now,
and at sixty-four even a lieutenant's uniform is just clothes and
nothing else. "It is an amazing thing how fast children do grow up.
Rilla here, now, is almost fifteen."
"I'm going on seventeen, Susan," cried Rilla almost passionately. She
was a whole month past sixteen. It was intolerable of Susan.
"It seems just the other day that you were all babies," said Susan,
ignoring Rilla's protest. "You were really the prettiest baby I ever
saw, Ken, though your mother had an awful time trying to cure you of
sucking your thumb. Do you remember the day I spanked you?"
"No," said Ken.
"Oh well, I suppose you would be too young--you were only about four
and you were here with your mother and you insisted on teasing Nan until
she cried. I had tried several ways of stopping you but none availed,
and I saw that a spanking was the only thing that would serve. So I
picked you up and laid you across my knee and lambasted you well. You
howled at the top of your voice but you left Nan alone after that.
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