8o THE KALLIKAK FAMILY 



never forgotten. There were in her mind floating 

 memories of great scandals connected with these women 

 and their lonely mountain hut. The father went by 

 the name of the "Old Horror," and as she remembered 

 him, he was always unwashed and drunk. At election 

 time, he never failed to appear in somebody's cast-off 

 clothing, ready to vote, for the price of a drink, the 

 donor's ticket. 



This information, coming when it did, seemed amaz- 

 ing and carried with it the probability of establishing 

 the certainty of defect transmitted through five genera- 

 tions. But the town in question was remote and the 

 probability of finding any living person able to give 

 accurate information seemed so slight that nothing 

 further was done in this direction for many months. 



In the meantime, the families of the fifteen brothers 

 and sisters of Deborah's grandfather had been worked 

 out, and the names of several living relatives back in 

 the mountain ascertained. The time was ripe. 



Appealing for a night's lodging at the home of a re- 

 tired farmer, the field worker was fortunate enough to 

 be received. As the hostess was showing her to a room, 

 she asked tentatively, "You have lived in B - a 

 long time ?" "About sixty-five years," was the pleas- 

 ant reply. " So, then, you know something of most of 



