"I'll haunt you as
long as you live."
The girl shrank back from her.
"Don't mind a poor old woman whose hours are numbered, but you'll keep
yer promise, won't yer, Alice?" And she grasped both Alice's hands
convulsively.
"Aunt Heppy," said Alice, "I've given you my promise, and I'll keep my
word whatever happens. So don't worry any more about it, Auntie."
For a few moments Mrs. Putnam remained quiet; then she spoke in clear,
even tones. Not a word was lost upon Alice. "This adopted daughter of
mine has been a curse to me ever since I knew her. She was two years
older than Jones. They grew up together as brother and sister, but she
wasn't satisfied with that, she fell in love with my son, and she made
him love her. She turned him agin his mother. She found out that there
wuz no law agin a man's marryin' his adopted sister. We had to send him
away from home, but she followed him. She wuz goin' to elope with him,
but I got wind of it, and I stopped that; then Jones died away from home
and left her all his money. He wuz so bitter agin me that he put in his
will that she was not to touch a dollar of my money, but better that
than to have her marry him.
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