“Do you mind, sir? How old is she?” “Fourteen, day before yesterday.” “Fourteen? Great Galaxy— Tell me, has she ever said she expects to marry someday?” “No, she hasn’t. Not to me.” “Well, if she ever does, shoot him. The one she’s going to marry, I mean.” He stared earnestly into the older man’s eyes. “I’m serious. Life could hold no greater horror than living with what she’ll be like when she’s twenty.
