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When a woman marries into a family, she mostly shuts her eyes and jumps in all over.

Your mother was the best of the whole lot of you. Anyway, I think so.

I know it. I always thought a lot of her, in spite of our being relations.

She loved you, Ben.

She left me without a dollar, knowin’ I was going to State’s Prison, and what I ’d be by the time I get out.

Maybe some day you ’ll understand why she did it.

Because she thought you ’d take better care of the money than any of the rest of us,

And you hate me because of that, the way all the rest of the Jordans do?

Sometimes.

(sadly)

I suppose it’s natural.

But I ain’t such a fool as Henry, and the women folks. They think you took advantage and fooled her into what she did, I thought so at first, now I don’t.

What do you think now, Ben?