Page:Willa Cather - The Song of the Lark.djvu/112

 it, mother. Thea is not the marrying kind. I 've watched 'em. Anna will marry before long and make a good wife, but I don't see Thea bringing up a family. She 's got a good deal of her mother in her, but she has n't got all. She 's too peppery and too fond of having her own way. Then she 's always got to be ahead in everything. That kind make good church-workers and missionaries and school teachers, but they don't make good wives. They fret all their energy away, like colts, and get cut on the wire."

Mrs. Kronborg laughed. "Give me the graham crackers I put in your pocket for Thor. He 's hungry. You 're a funny man, Peter. A body would n't think, to hear you, you was talking about your own daughters. I guess you see through 'em. Still, even if Thea ain't apt to have children of her own, I don't know as that 's a good reason why she should wear herself out on other people's."

"That 's just the point, mother. A girl with all that energy has got to do something, same as a boy, to keep her out of mischief. If you don't want her to marry Ray, let her do something to make herself independent."

"Well, I 'm not against it. It might be the best thing for her. I wish I felt sure she would n't worry. She takes things hard. She nearly cried herself sick about Wunsch's going away. She 's the smartest child of 'em all, Peter, by a long ways."

Peter Kronborg smiled. "There you go, Anna. That 's you all over again. Now, I have no favorites; they all have their good points. But you," with a twinkle, "always did go in for brains."

Mrs. Kronborg chuckled as she wiped the cracker crumbs from Thor's chin and fists. "Well, you 're mighty conceited, Peter! But I don't know as I ever regretted it. I prefer having a family of my own to fussing with other folks' children, that 's the truth."

Before the Kronborgs reached Copper Hole, Thea's destiny was pretty well mapped out for her. Mr. Kronborg